A Reason to Remember
by Einmonim
Summary: [OoT novelization] [GanondorfxNabooru, Zelink] Chapter 9: Hyrule's fall, part one, as witnessed by the goddesses, Zelda, the Happy Mask Salesman, Nabooru, and several other characters.
1. Prologue

A/N: Okay, so I'm sure everyone and their moms have done this, but I wanted to too. So there. Anyway, it's basically another retelling of Ocarina of Time in story format, complete with angst, character history, romance, etc. Woot. And Link talks. And it's from more than one POV. I guess. Will eventually become Link x Zelda; Ganondorf x Nabooru is introduced in Chapter Five.

This is the prologue… granted, it's pretty crappy (and really short; the next chapters will be much longer), but all I want to do is write stuff about Link angsting. Um… yeah. Cough. Oo;; Enjoy?

Oh yeah, the italicized hyphen dialogue is a different speaker than the normal hyphen dialogue. You'll get it. I hope. Xx

---

**Prologue**

Rain.

Pounding on her face, her body, her horse. Relentless.

But at least it hid her from the things that sought to pursue her.

A thin wail, rising from beneath the folds of her clothing. "Hush," she whispered to it, kicking the flanks of the horse in the process. "A few more miles, and we'll stop, I promise."

She hated them for making her do this. For making her flee Hyrule like a common renegade. Given her upbringing, it made her feel dirty inside, but to flee was her only choice.

Well, that, or death.

Another wail. "Soon," she cooed, "soon." Too dangerous to stop now. She didn't know how close they were to her. Certainly, she had chosen the fastest horse in all of Hyrule, but it would tire soon, and then what?

It turned out she'd have to find out now. The mare simply collapsed, exhausted from the night chase, sending rider and her precious cargo careening off its back to land crumpled in a nearby bush. The woman got up instantly, still clutching to her body the carefully wrapped bundle, hoisted up her dress, and ran.

—_To the forests she heads, goddesses, give her strength—_

She felt a sudden infusion of intensity course through her body, and picked up speed. But it disappeared as fast as it had come, and she finally fell down onto the wet grass, tired and ready to give up all hope.

_As long as he is safe…_

The rain had stopped, she noticed, at the same time a dark shadow loomed over her. One thin hand lifted upward protectively, still prepared to defend herself if need be.

—Do not fear me—

"Who are you?" she whispered, still trying to figure out what was talking.

—I am the great Deku Tree, guardian of the Kokiri and the forest—

"The Deku Tree? Do you dare to—to—" She found herself unable to complete her sentence, her strength falling away like sand beneath cupped hands. Her raised hand fell back to the earth.

—Your son has been blessed by the three golden goddesses. He is destined to save Hyrule—

The woman shook her head. "No. His father was. But he died… died in the war…"

—There is a darker evil rising, one that will come to pass with time. It lies dormant now, gathering strength. But when it arrives, it will be your son who goes to meet it—

"How can that be? He—he doesn't even have a name yet! I can't…"

—Trust me—

"I cannot entrust my son to—to a tree!"

—Trust me—

"Surely you are wrong!"

—Trust me—

Resigned, she sat up weakly and pulled out the bundle wrapped away in her clothing. "Please," she whispered. "Take good care of him for me…"

A slender branch reached out, looping gently around the baby's body, and slowly drew it away. She caught a brief glimpse of her child's face, the face that she would never see again, and began to cry. That fate could be so cruel…

"Deku Tree," she said softly, kneeling. "His name…"

She looked up to the crystalline night sky, so different from what it had been only hours ago, and knew that somewhere up there, her husband was waiting for her. And when she left, there would only be the baby, the last link to their family.

"His name is… Link…"

And then her husband was there, clad in silver armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, gloved hand reaching out for her. Her own hand clasped his, and he pulled her off the ground, and together, they ascended into the heavens, where they would never be separated again.


	2. Chapter One: Parasite

A/N: Okay, this is pretty bad. Oh well. Ah, there's a lot of Deku Tree dialogue which I got from the game, and I copied most of it, so if it bores you go ahead and skip through it, I dun really care, haha. And yeah, this is considerably longer than the prologue. It might have been longer, but I decided I needed to control myself. XD;;

Things I copied from Terry Brooks: the hyphen stuff. I thought that was nifty, because it made their dialogue special, and yeah. Hyphen dialogue is Deku Tree; hyphen dialogue italicized are the goddesses. And just plain italics are the POV's character's thoughts. I copied the present tense dreams stuff too. (Dreams the character is having is characterized by italicized present tense.)

Things I copied from Orson Scott Card: the random goddess stuff. Like when Graff and Carlotta are talking about Ender, haha. That was nifty too.

Oh, and since I forgot this in the first chapter, all these characters belong to Nintendo and stuff; I sadly cannot claim any of them. Damn.

Pretty much everything above shall apply to the rest of the chapters as well.

---

**Chapter One: Parasite**

A searing pain shot through his veins, burning the trunk, the branches, the leaves of his immobile body. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, but he knew it for what it was.

—It is time—

A shadow, cackling. Parasitic. Digging into his body, making its way into the hollow of his trunk. All the while, the pain. But he couldn't do anything about it.

—Gohma—

"You can't do anything, Deku Tree. You can't move. You're helpless." Another cackle. "Give us the stone and maybe the great Ganondorf will put an end to you early, hmm?"

He was a tree. He was patient. But Ganondorf was even more so, and so something must be done about this now.

—Never—

Tearing. She was going inside him, becoming part of him—

"Your choice to die."

He needed her help.

—Navi… Navi, where art thou? Come hither—

The gap Gohma had made to enter him sealed itself, and the pain became more intense.

—Oh, Navi the fairy—

A pale blue light appeared in the night sky, growing larger and larger as it came to him. "Great Deku Tree!" it called out softly. "Why did you call—"

—Listen to my words, the words of the Deku Tree… dost thou sense it? The climate of evil descending upon this realm… malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land of Hyrule… For so long, the Kokiri Forest, the source of life, has stood as a barrier deterring outsiders and maintaining the order of the world… but… before this tremendous evil power, even my power is as nothing… It seems the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey… the youth whose destiny it is to lead Hyrule to the path of justice and truth… Navi… go now! Find our young friend and guide him to me… I do not have much time left. Fly, Navi, Fly! The fate of the forest, nay, the world, depends on thee—

_Best of luck, little fairy_, he thought as he watched her fade away into the dawn. _May the golden goddesses fly with thee._

---

_He stands in front of a white arch with a triangular design embedded into it, soaking in the rain. Lightning flashes, thunder booms. And then, so does the gate._

_ It crashes down, and he barely has enough time to leap to the side before a white stallion with a girl and a older woman atop of it are galloping out, into the field, into someplace far away. Another horse follows, but this one is bigger and darker and the man on top—the man on top—_

_ "Hello, Link!"_

_The man on top looks evil and dangerous, but the voice is harmless enough. "Wake up!" Such an annoying, high-pitched voice. Looks can be deceiving, it seems._

_ He bends down and slaps his face. "The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!"_

The horse, the man, the rain—everything was disappearing now, until only the voice remained. "Link, get up! Hey! C'mon! Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a lazy boy?"

Link's eyes snapped open at the mention of Deku Tree, Hyrule, and destiny, but he quickly forgot about them and almost went back to sleep again, except that a bluish light was bumping against his head.

"What the—who are you? My dream… you interrupted it!" Link muttered, chagrined, as he yawned and sat up on his bed.

"Mmmhmm, dreams are real important right now. No! But anyway, you finally woke up! I'm Navi the fairy! The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your partner from now on! Nice to meet you! The Great Deku Tree has summoned you! So let's get going, right now!" The light was practically bouncing from ceiling to floor, and Link quickly tired from following its movement.

And then it dawned on him.

"Wait… so… you're my fairy?! I have one now? I knew Mido was wrong! He was just jealous! I'm going to challenge him to a real fight now, see who wins! _I am going to kick_—"

"No! Shut up! The Great Deku Tree needs you!"

Link's face fell at once. "No chance for—"

"No chance at all! Let's go!"

Oh man, this was going to be one of those annoying fairies. Ah well, he'd have to get used to it, he guessed. At least he _had_ one now.

He put on his hat, counted his Deku Nuts, and made his bed, and then he exited the treehouse, blinking at the newly risen sun. "So early," he murmured.

"Never too early to serve the Great Deku Tree!"

The perkiness. Even after only minutes of knowing Navi, he was ready to kill her.

Another voice. "Yahoo! Hi, Link!"

He recognized it right away and reddened at the thought. "Hi, Saria!" Flashing a quick smile, he climbed down the ladder and eyed her. "What are you doing here?"

She grinned. "There's this place I go to sometimes, and I really like it. I want to bring you there today."

"Oh, sure—" But then Navi banged against his head again, and he frowned. "I can't. The Deku Tree wants to see me."

"The Deku Tree! Oh, it must be because you have a fairy now! I'm so happy for you, Link! I knew you'd get one someday!" And before he could protest, Saria was hugging him, giggling into his shoulder.

"Um… yeah," Link said, trying to extract himself from her embrace, looking red. "But I have to see him now…"

"I'll wait for you! And then we can go to the secret place!"

"Yeah… we can go…" He let go of her hand—he hadn't even realized that he'd been holding it and walked off slowly to where the Deku Tree would be. It was strange, the way Saria acted toward him. Sort of like the way Mido acted toward Saria, except not as weird. Link liked her as a friend, was all. He wasn't sure what she was driving at.

"You're not getting past me," came a sullen voice.

Link snapped back to reality and found Mido right in front of him, blocking his way. "The Deku Tree told me—"

"Blah blah blah you're not so special, Link! Just because you were a baby when the Deku Tree told us to take care of you doesn't mean you should get all the attention! _We're_ normal! We were born as children and will always stay that way! But _you_, you're _different_, you _became_ a child!"

"Mido, what are you talking—"

"I don't want to hear it! Saria is mine, do you hear me? So stay away from her!"

"Goddesses, all right! But I still have to see the Deku Tree!"

Mido straightened, cleared his throat. More composed now. "You can't," he said, eyes lidded. "You need a sword and a shield. So _there_."

Link twitched. "But where am I supposed to got one?"

The other didn't answer, and Link rolled his eyes. "I'll get them, and then we'll see what you can do. Geez."

He went into Mido's house and took some rupees from the chests there—"He deserves it!" he said to a doubtful-looking Navi—and proceeded to cut down all the grass as well. Eventually, he had forty of them, so he went to the store and bought a Deku Shield.

As for the sword… he knew where it was, of course. He'd heard Mido bragging about it when Link was supposedly gone. Running up the rise, he shouted a brief greeting to the Kokiri there, who was staring at rocks, and crawled through the small tunnel behind one of them. Navi stayed behind, flitting about nervously, until Link returned with the Kokiri Sword in hand. "Let's see what Mido says now," he puffed, face bright red. "Stupid rock tried to run over me…"

Together, they went back to where Mido stood guard, brandished Link's equipment at him, and were grudgingly granted admittance. "You're not so special!" Mido shouted at him. "You'll learn that the hard way someday!"

Link smiled, twirled his sword, dropped it, picked it up again, and hurried off to the Great Deku Tree.

---

—_So innocent, so naïve… how can he possibly be the one_—

—_Are you doubting Fate_—

—_This could break him—_

—_It will break everyone but him. The stars aligned for him. Have faith_—

—_I find it difficult to believe in a boy who cannot even hold up his sword_—

—_He will learn. Believe_—

---

"Great Deku Tree, I'm back!" Navi flew up to him, nudged herself against his smooth bark, and flew back to Link.

—Oh… Navi… thou hast returned… Link… welcome… listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee… Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares… As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it… verily, thou hast felt it… Link… the time has come to test thy courage… I have been cursed… I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and your courage. Dost thou have enough courage to undertake this task—

Up until now, Link had been full of thoughts about how to show off Mido, but when the full impact of the Deku Tree's words hit him, that became the last thought on his mind.

"Wait… cursed… what are you talking about?" It was the first time in his life he had realized that something could go wrong, that the everlasting Deku Tree could be everlasting no longer.

The first twinge of fear and doubt twanged inside him.

—The parasite—

"Parasite?"

—Defeat her and break the curse—

"Deku Tree… you're not going to die, are you?"

—The faster thou defeatest her, the better chance I hath—

"Don't die on me. Please," Link whispered as he stole silently into the tree's gaping mouth, not once looking back.

---

_The darkness is as pervasive as the clouds and the rain, if not more so. Whispers of evil and malice are heard all about, and they cannot be stopped. Sinister creatures prowl the fields, looking for prey. The world is consumed by something wicked and foul, and the end, everyone believes, is coming._

_ There seems to be no hope left in this world._

_ But hope can come from the strangest places, and it does so now. There is a ray of light shining from the forest of the enchanted children, dispelling the rain. And in the midst of this light, a small boy appears, holding up a beautiful emerald. A fairy follows. Everywhere he walks, the darkness disappears, and there is normal life again. Birds can sing, crickets can chirp. And so he becomes the savior of the land._

_ The dark clouds remain, however. They build up over the boy with the fairy and the stone, and then form into something evil and terrible, something that may have been human once but is not any longer… and then it attacks._

She woke up with a start, breathing heavy, eyes wild.

_Such evil…_

This wasn't the first time she had had that dream. It had been coming to her for days now, and she was sure that it was a prophecy.

_The boy… it all depends on the boy…_

He would come, she believed, because the prophecy said so. He would be Hyrule's savior. She was bound to him now through her dreams, and he would come.

But right now, the princess of Hyrule had to get out of bed and tell her father not to trust the man from the desert, because he was the one that would prove to be everyone's undoing.

---

The first thing that Link noticed was that the tree looked a lot bigger on the inside than it did on the outside, if that was even possible, considering the Deku Tree's size. "So big," he said in amazement.

"The more space it has, the more space there is for enemies to—_Link, behind you!_"

By pure reflex, the Kokiri Sword was up and swinging through the air, cutting down everything within a three-foot radius from him. Not that impressive, but it would do. There was a terrible squeak, and then the sound of something drying up.

"God… goddesses… what did I do?" he whispered hoarsely, sword dropping from his nerveless fingers.

"You got yourself a Deku Stick," Navi replied, trying to look nonchalant but failing. "Pick it up before it crumples into dust; these things don't last that long outside."

"Navi," Link breathed, one hand reaching down to clasp itself around the stick, "I just killed something…"

The fairy flashed—in anger, sympathy, or something else entirely, he couldn't tell—and settled herself on his shoulder. "Link," she said matter-of-factly. "The Great Deku Tree summoned you to break the curse the dark one cast upon it. If killing a Deku Baba scares you this much, imagine what will happen when you kill Gohma. You have a lot of death ahead of you."

"It's not that," Link said softly, trying to understand himself. "Just… when I killed it… I… I felt like I was on top of the world, you know? So much power… with just me and my blade… except at the same time I felt I was losing myself in its… its pull. And I did. And I don't feel the same anymore. Navi, what's happening to me?"

"Link, it doesn't matter. Nothing matters except for breaking the curse on the Deku Tree. Don't dwell on things like this, otherwise you'll unravel yourself. And then you're no use, no use at all. Come on, there's definitely something important beneath that giant web here, but I think we'll have to explore the upper levels first. Let's go."

Completely unsatisfied with the answers he had received, he followed Navi into the darkness that waited ahead.

---

—_The boy doesn't even believe in himself anymore_—

—_He has never killed. Do not be so harsh_—

—_He needs hope_—

—_Send the owl, then. The owl is wise, he will tell Link what he needs to know_—

—_The owl cannot be there for him always_—

—_He can for now; send him to wait for Link once he leaves the forest_—

—_Very well. But Link must learn to work alone as well_—

—_He will have enough chances for that, I can assure you; the future is dark_—

—_Dark, indeed_—

---

They stood now at the ledge on the third floor of the Deku Tree, surrounded by cobwebs and cold air, looking down at the web-covered hole below.

"She hasn't been anywhere up here, so she has to be below the tree," Link said softly, fingering a token he had received upon killing a Gold Skulltula. His voice shook ever so slightly. "So… we have to get down there somehow. And…"

From out of nowhere, a giant white spider dropped from the ceiling to land right in front of him, advancing slowly, pushing him back. It chittered softly, fangs and claws clicking.

"Navi," he whispered, sounding as if all of his courage and his strength had been stolen away from him. Of all the Skulltulas he had seen, they had been stationary on the wall, not dropping down like this. He had never felt this defenseless before, and he hated it.

"Navi?" he repeated, the Kokiri Sword threatening to fall away from his clumsy grasp.

_Where is she?_

He felt something sticky touch his hand, and realized belatedly that he had backed himself right into one of the Skulltula's webs.

All the while, the Skulltula continued to advance.

Time slowed. He discovered too late that squirming got him caught in the web even more, and in a matter of time was strung out in a spread-eagle position.

It would open up his insides first, while he was still alive. It would use one of its claws to rip open his abdominal cavity and remove everything there. It would then move up to the chest, puncture his lungs, and crush his still beating heart. Once it eliminated the insides, it would remove his arms and legs, to be left dangling from the web. And then it would focus on his head…

All of this passed through his mind in only seconds, and then there was a blur of white light, and the Skulltula was on its back, dying, blue fire jumping up from its body.

"Navi!" he gasped in relief as the fairy appeared from beneath the spider's body, trying to whisk some of its dying flames towards the web Link was ensnared in. The flame caught, and soon enough, the web was burned away, and Link was kneeling on the ledge, rubbing his arms. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I'm… really glad you're here for me."

"No problem," Navi said roughly. "But we have to get from here to where Gohma is down there, and I think the only solution is to jump."

Link nodded stiffly, and, tucking Navi into his hat, swan dived off the ledge, through the web, and down into the water below.

---

_He doesn't believe me._

_My own father doesn't trust me._

_Only the boy… only he will be able to help now._

_He's coming. I feel it in my heart._

_But do not let the man from the desert discover who you are… else he will surely kill you._

---

The rest of the dungeon passed by in a blur. After the encounter with the Skulltula, he felt that with Navi beside him, they were capable of anything. The newly found Fairy Slingshot was put to good use, and before Link even knew it, he was standing outside the room that led to Gohma's chamber.

Despite the confidence in his physical abilities, however, there was still more than a little doubt about what he was doing mentally. He was killing things, and he enjoyed it. It was sick. It ate away at his stomach and his mind, a venomous snake, bathing in its own poison.

_Poison…_

That was what Gohma was, wasn't she? Poison, like all parasites.

He had never even seen her, but somehow, he felt as if he was turning into her.

Whatever the case, he was certainly not the naïve little boy he had been when he had entered the Deku Tree.

_I don't care either way_, Link thought wearily, wishing he could just go back to his bed and sleep. He'd been in here all day, and the strain was beginning to tell.

With sword in one hand and slingshot in the other, he nudged the stone barrier with his foot and watched it rise.

---

The light was unexpected, and she knew it to be an intrusion. Her eight legs skittering along the ceiling, she climbed up to the apex of her dome, hanging upside down, and watched the person walk in, completely unsuspecting.

That was all the better to kill him, of course.

Her one eye blinked, and she let out a low hiss of satisfaction.

Soon, now. Very soon.

---

It was easy enough. The Deku Scrubs he had scared had told him everything. "Strike with your sword while she's stunned." And to stun her, all he needed to do was shoot her eye with Deku Seeds.

So he walked in, the confidence that had buoyed him earlier still there, but waning.

_Parasites leech onto you and suck your life away, and they never let go._

The door slammed shut behind him.

He looked around. The floor was covered with tendrils of mist, covering anything that might be hidden beneath. The walls were huge and scaly, and there seemed to be some kind of slime on them. Giant stone pillars circled the room. And there, up on the ceiling, was an eye, a yellow eye—

Something large dropped down right in front of him.

He took a step back in surprise, but at Navi's yelling, brought up his slingshot and flung Deku Seeds into the thing's eye, wincing every time bits and pieces of it splashed onto him. When it finally collapsed onto the ground, he brought out the sword, jabbed it into the eye over and over again, until he faltered and it had a chance to get away.

"Navi, was that Gohma?" he shouted breathlessly, trying to hear himself over the pounding of his blood.

"Of course it was, now get out of the way before they land on you!"

"They?—"

No time for a reply.

Blobs of white fell down from the ceiling, hardening upon impact with the floor, and sat motionless. Link approached them carefully, sword held up defensively, when suddenly, all three of the blobs cracked open and smaller versions of the Gohma crawled out of each.

"Gohma larvae! When they turn red, that means they're about to attack!" Navi cried out, directing his attention to the closest one. "Kill them before that happens!"

His eyes widened in surprise, but he jump attacked it anyway, relishing the sound it made as it died, but then there was something on his back, tearing apart his clothing, inserting claws into his skin, and he flung at it madly before that, too, died, and then the third one, the last one, tried to attack his face before he impaled it on his sword. Now what…?

There was a loud sound from behind, and he turned around to see that he was face to face with Gohma again. He shouted loudly, took some Deku Nuts from his pouch and threw them at her, and then slashed her with the Kokiri Sword repeatedly until she exploded in blue fire, screaming horribly, and crumpled into an exoskeleton, smoking.

"It's over," Navi said in a hoarse whisper, darting from Gohma's remains to Link, back and forth, back and forth. "You did it, Link."

He tried to reply, but his need for air was greater, and for a while the only thing anyone could hear was his rushed breathing. "Does… does this mean I can go now? That I can sleep and wake up and not have to kill any more things?"

Navi didn't reply. Instead, she pointed to something glittering just beyond Gohma's body. "See that, Link? It's a heart container, a magic item. It gives you… resiliency… go pick it up."

He did so, and it was drawn into his body through his fingers, into his veins, his blood. And he felt different somehow. But this time… it was a good kind of difference. He smiled for the first time since the Deku Tree had given him his charge. "Let's go, Navi. Back to the forest." And together, they entered the blue halo of light, where they were lifted up into a world of white and then lowered back down in front of the Deku Tree.

—Link—

"Great Deku Tree," the boy whispered respectfully, trying not to think about the gash on his back.

—Well done, Link… thou has verily demonstrated thy courage… I know that thou wouldst be able to carry out my wishes… Now, I have yet more to tell ye, wouldst thou listen—

"Of course," Link said, but all the while praying it was not yet another charge. The events inside the Deku Tree had shown him… evil things that he… would have never imagined…

—Now… listen carefully… A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse upon me—

Link remembered the man on the dark horse in his nightmare.

—This evil man carelessly uses his vile, sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule… for it is in the Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods—

In his mind, he could see three brilliantly colored lights that descended over Hyrule to fly up into the sky, collide, leaving behind only the Triforce…

—Before time began, before spirits and life existed… three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule… Din, the goddess of power… Nayru, the goddess of wisdom… Farore, the goddess of courage… Din… with her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru… poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore… with her rich soul produced all life forms who would uphold the law. The three great goddesses, their labors completed, departed for the heavens. And the golden triangles remained at the point where the goddesses left the world. Since then, the sacred triangles have become the basis of our world's providence. And, the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm—

The vision of the goddesses faded from his mind, and the Deku Tree came back into focus.

—Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce… thou must never suffer that man with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend… that evil mean who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power… because of that curse, my end is nigh… Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started—

"Does this mean—" Link began.

—Yes, I will pass away soon… but do not grieve for me… I have been able to tell you of these important matters… this is Hyrule's final hope… Link… go now to Hyrule Castle… there, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny… take this stone with you. The stone that the man wanted so much, that he cast the curse on me—

A golden light appeared above Link's head, and a spinning emerald embedded in gold appeared. Dropping his weapons, he reached up to take hold of it, shuddering as its magic coursed through him. This stone… the Kokiri's Emerald… the cause of the Deku Tree's death…

—The future depends on thee. Link… thou art courageous… Navi the fairy… help Link to carry out my will… I entreat ye… Navi—

A sudden gust of wind came from out of nowhere, rustling the tree's branches, sending dead leaves flying everywhere.

—Good… bye—

"Deku Tree!" Link cried out, as its bark turned gray and its eyes closed one last time.

Change was coming to Hyrule, and not all of it was good.

"Deku Tree," he repeated hoarsely, and curled up at the base of its trunk, crying himself to sleep.

---

A/N: Yay, another author's note! Um, yeah, that was bad. And I know I put a good deal of light humor in there, but eh. Link can't start out as a poor depressed child, hmm? (OR CAN HE.) Oo;; Sorry if all the changes in POVs confused you… haha. And hopefully you could even tell who was who. Eeep. A'ight, well, Link's going to go meet t3h "Princess of Destiny" now, whoo. XD


	3. Chapter Two: Children of Destiny

A/N: Reuploaded because jade04 very kindly pointed out some of the errors I had made. Man... I need to play that game again; I don't remember a thing. I mean, I got the Fairy Ocarina confused with the Ocarina of Time... nice job, Minnie. Xx;; (I kept the part with Impa having her own ocarina, though, simply because it was Link's first time learning a song and I didn't want to explain, the, uh, logistics of him miraculously playing it right the first time when all he had to go by was the sound of Impa's whistling. Or something. XD

Yikes. It starts off okay, and gets steadily worse. I actually kind of like what I did with the Mido and Saria scenes, but then that probably means they really suck, and that the rest sucks even more. Ah well.

Impa and Zelda talk too much.

And even though I hate Malon, I had to write just a little bit of Link/Malon because after all, Link IS a guy, and he can't pass up a chance to talk to a girl, eh? Trying my best not to be biased here. Oo;;

Don't own anything. Boo.

---

**Chapter Two: Children of Destiny**

"Link? Link, let's go to Hyrule Castle now. We have to meet her… Link!"

He opened his eyes slowly. "We don't have to meet anyone, do we?"

"Of course we do! That was the Great Deku Tree's dying wish! How could you go against that?"

"Navi!" He was on his feet instantly, hand reached out to grab her in midair. "Don't say that to me!" His hand squeezed, and the light around the fairy grew alarmingly red. He sighed and let her go. "I'm sorry. But the Deku Tree is making me do all this… and I'm… I'm not prepared for what I find. And… it scares me… and I don't want to have to deal with it again. Goddesses, I'm not special. Mido's right. I don't know why he wants me to talk to the princess… I… don't know anything anymore…"

"It's all right, Link," Navi offered stoically. "I'm like you, too. They called me the fairy without a Kokiri. But now that the Deku Tree has paired me with you… surely we can do great things together." Her voice rose slightly. "We're destined for something. Or you are, anyway. And someday, you'll know why you're doing what you're doing."

Link cast a sideways glance at her. "Thanks… I guess. But right now I guess we _do_ have to see her…"

Navi bobbed up and down in the air. "Then come on! We're going to see Hyrule for the first time!"

They had barely walked a few feet away from the Deku Tree when Mido was there again, snarling at them. "Hey, Link! What did you do? The Great Deku Tree… did he… die?"

Link froze. "Um…"

"Link! How could you do a thing like that?"

"What? It wasn't me, Mido! For goddesses' sake, I tried to save him!"

"It's all your fault! You know what? You're not a Kokiri anymore! I will _not_ tolerate your presence here any longer! _You killed the Great Deku Tree_, and you're going to pay. Go on, Link. Leave us alone. Leave Saria alone. Go into whatever's beyond this forest and get killed. I don't care."

"Mido…"

"You betrayed us, Link." There was something in his eyes, something that whispered of fear and anger…

"I'll go, Mido, if it makes you happy. I'm sorry." And he backed away, slowly at first, until he was able to circle around him and dash all the way to the tunnel that led to the outside world.

He knew it was going to take something special before he ever came back.

---

Mido stared after Link as he watched the other run into the tunnel, his fairy bobbing around discontentedly. What had he done? He… he had just sent a fellow Kokiri scampering out of the forest to meet his certain doom…

"What's wrong with me?" he asked out loud to no one in particular.

He already knew, though. The Kokiri had always been sensitive to things like this, and even though he didn't want to admit it, he had to.

_Something wicked this way comes…_

_---_

He stumbled through the wooden tunnel, humiliated and hurt, to say the least. How could Mido say such a thing to him? He had been going to leave anyway… but now… it would be so hard to come back…

_I'm sorry if everything I do makes you mad at me! I'm sorry if Saria doesn't like you! I'm sorry if my supposed "specialness" makes the Deku Tree want to talk to me more!_

_ I'm sorry!_

_ But it wasn't what I chose._

He was already almost across the bridge, head lowered, trying not to cry, when a soft voice came from behind. "Link?"

It was Saria.

"Saria, no," he said hoarsely. "Don't…"

"Oh, you're leaving…" Her voice was soft, almost as if she had faded away to some other place.

"Mido—" Link tried to explain.

"I knew… I knew that you would leave the forest, someday, Link," she continued, not noticing him. Her face was drawn, and for a moment she looked old. "Because you are different from me and my friends…"

_Too different…_

"But that's okay, because we'll be friends forever… won't we?"

"Saria, please don't, this hurts too much right now—"

Were her eyes watering? "I want you to have this … please take good care of it." A trembling hand reached into her pocket and produced a beige-colored ocarina. Link's hand, now trembling as well, slowly picked it up and placed it gently in his pouch.

"This is your ocarina, though. Your Fairy Ocarina." He felt that if he spoke in anything other than a whisper, somehow everything would fall apart.

She shook her head. "No. It's yours now; I gave it to you. So when you play it, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit."

"I—I—"

"Do you promise me, Link?"

"Saria," he whispered, backing off slowly, and then, finally ripping his eyes away from her piercing green gaze, turned and fled into the other tunnel, away from the Kokiri, away from home, away from Saria. And as he ran, he felt as if he were tearing apart all of the remnants that remained of his innocuous childhood, tossing everything aside, never to be seen again.

---

It was then that Link could finally cry. _Such a baby_, he thought in disgust, but he couldn't help it. The Deku Tree dying… Mido blaming him… and Saria, ah, goddesses, Saria, who had given him her beloved ocarina…

He was about to take it out to examine if not for the hooting sound that came from above him.

"Hoo hoot! Link… look up here!"

Link looked up, trying to wipe the tears from his face as he did so, and found that he was facing a giant owl.

"I am Kaepora Gaebora, the messenger of the goddesses! It appears that the time has finally come for you to start your adventure! You will encounter many hardships ahead… that is your fate."

Fate? What was he talking about?

"Don't feel discouraged, even during the toughest times! Go straight this way and you will see Hyrule Castle. You will meet a princess there…"

"Why are you even here?" Link asked suddenly.

"Why not? I'll see you around, Link! Hoot hoot hoot ho!" With that, the owl flapped its great wings and took off into the sky.

"Nayru's creation," Navi said cheerfully, peeking out of Link's hat. "Look, you don't have to cry. You were going to leave the forest anyway. Nothing Mido says matters."

"Saria matters." He said it so softly he wasn't even sure if Navi had heard, and apparently she hadn't, because she was already flying ahead, squealing excitedly.

"Look at all this land! I never knew there was such a thing outside of the forest! Come on, Link, let's get to the castle before the sun sets!"

So they sprinted across the field, still in the direction of the castle, but able to, for just a few moments, forget about everything that had happened in the forest, to put away the pain it had all caused. He reveled in the freedom being outside gave him—it was so different from before. He was _happy_.

It was nearing dusk by the time Link finally arrived at the drawbridge, panting and exhausted. He'd barely even stopped to eat.

"Well, we're here, Navi," he said proudly, eyes lifting to take in the moat and everything surrounding it…

And then he froze.

Rain running down his face. Lightning flashing in the distance.

A white horse, galloping at top speed out of the market and into the fields, nearly knocking him over.

A black horse following.

This was the place.

The place of his nightmares.

One step onto the drawbridge.

Then another. And another.

Was it possible… that… his nightmare could come true?

"Link, come on! They're bringing up the bridge for the night! Hurry, get off before you end up stuck on it somehow!"

Navi's voice snapped Link out of his daze, and he ran into the marketplace just in time. "Did you see that?" he panted.

"See what? You almost get killed because you were standing on the bridge while they were pulling it up?"

"No! I was standing there… when the white horse came… and then the black one…"

"Link…" Navi began, but quickly ducked into his hat.

"Wha—"

"Excuse me."

Link turned and found himself face-to-face with a very pretty girl. "I—uh, the thing is—what—who—princess—"

The girl giggled. Her hair was red and ruby colored, and he wanted to reach out and feel it. "Hi, I'm Malon, and I come from Lon Lon Ranch. I'm looking for my dad. Have you seen him?"

"Your dad? Uh…"

"Oh, was that a fairy I saw underneath your hat?"

"Fairy? Uh…"

"It was, wasn't it! That's so cute, you have a fairy! Teehee!"

"I have a fairy?" This girl was making him fluster, and while it felt weird, he liked it. A little.

"Well, fairy boy, it's late and I should probably continue looking for him. If you see him, will you tell him I'm here?"

Fairy boy? "Uh… of course…"

"Thanks! Teehee!" And with that, she pranced off to some other place; Link couldn't really tell, since everything was blurred now.

"Nice job, Link." Navi was back out, and looking exasperated. "You've never met anyone that wasn't a Kokiri, have you?"

"No…" he murmured, still staring after her.

"Well, it's late now, and you should probably get some sleep. There was a guardhouse a little ways back… maybe they'll let a poor soul like you spend the night there. Let's go!"

Was it just him, or was "Let's go!" Navi's favorite phrase? He yawned and bit at a piece of bread he had brought with him from the forest. Malon…

So they spent the night in the guardhouse—not only did the guard on duty let them sleep there, but suggested that they break all the pots if they were bored—and woke up to a loud morning in Hyrule Market.

"Let's go see Malon," Link said happily as he got up, brushing aside pieces of broken pots as he did so. "She's nice."

"You do remember that we came here for a reason, right, Link?" Navi replied, raising an eyebrow. "We kind of have to _see the princess_…"

"But—"

"But nothing! We have to do what the Great Deku Tree told us to do! Besides, Malon lives at Lon Lon Ranch, and then we'll have to put off seeing the princess for another day. Listen, we'll go see her after this, okay? If it'll stop your whining…"

"I don't whine. Come on, we have a meeting to attend to!" He jumped up, muttered a hurried goodbye to the guard who had let them spend the night, and ran past the marketplace, into the valley, and all the way up to the gate, where another guard, who looked very much like the first, kept watch. "We have to see the princess," Link said matter-of-factly.

The guard scoffed. "We?"

Link looked around and discovered that Navi was hiding under his hat again. "Uh, I mean, I… have to… see her…"

"And what business would you have with her?"

"I have the Ko—"

But a sharp bang on his head kept him from finishing his sentence; Navi obviously didn't want anyone but the princess to know about the emerald. "I want to talk to her," he finished lamely.

The other snorted. "Right. Why don't you go back home, little boy, and turn your affections to someone else?"

"Affections?"

He rolled his eyes. "Love. Lust. Whatever. Come on, there's enough trouble in the palace already; we don't need a stupid little boy to add to it. Go on, now. Shoo."

"I don't—"

"Hey." The guard's sword was halfway out of its hilt. "I said to get out of here."

"Fine, fine," Link grumbled, walking back towards the marketplace. He decided he'd come back at night and find some other way to get in—hopefully the guards wouldn't be as awake then.

His pockets jingled, and he realized that he had a lot of rupees that he might as well spend. There was a bazaar that sold Hylian shields and bombs, and while they wouldn't let him buy the latter, he was able to purchase the former. The shield was big, and he'd have to duck under it like a turtle instead of holding it up to block things since it was so heavy, but that was okay. At least it wouldn't burn.

There was also a Happy Mask Shop, but that was closed.

Beyond, to the east of the castle, was the Temple of Time. Link spent more time than he would have thought in there, just sitting and thinking about Saria, Malon, and everything else. No one came, and he was glad to have all the space to himself. He played with the Fairy Ocarina Saria had given him, but couldn't make a decipherable tune from it. Eventually, he tired, and slept for most of the afternoon, to wake up again when it was almost dusk.

Link and Navi went back out into the marketplace after that, played some Bombchu Bowling, which Link found he wasn't so bad at, helped a girl catch her Cucco, and listened to a woman talk about her dog. After a while, all of the people left and the stores closed, and Link found himself sneaking back into the valley that led to the gate before the first shift of guards came to keep watch over the market and the stray dogs.

"Fairy boy!"

Link muffled a shout, looked around wildly, and saw Malon, hidden in the shadows, standing in front of some vines. "Malon!" he gasped.

She laughed. "Are you going to the castle, fairy boy? Would you mind finding my dad?"

"What, you haven't found him yet?" Link asked, laughing now as well—it was infectious.

"He must have fallen asleep somewhere around the castle! What a thing for an adult to do! Teehee! Oh yeah, if you look for him, I'll give this to you. I've been incubating this egg very carefully… teehee! So will you?"

"Of course!" Link said breathlessly, and accepted the egg that was presented to him. "But… um… how do you get in, do you know?"

She lowered her voice conspiratorially and grinned. "Climb the middle vine behind me. Make your way to the gate, slide down the hill, and then walk up the other hill, away from the eyes of the guards. There will be a wall that you'll be able to climb over, and then a moat…"

"How do you know all this?" asked Link, feeling more than a little respect towards her.

"I get around." She smirked, which seemed so unfitting to her childish blue eyes—for she was, after all, still a child—and patted his back. "Visit me at the ranch later, do you promise?"

_Do you promise me, Link?_

"Saria," he breathed.

Navi nudged nervously against his sleeve.

"Um, I mean, yeah, I promise," he said hurriedly to the now confused Malon. "I have to go, but I'll visit you. Yeah. Bye." He swung up the vine, smiled briefly at Malon, and climbed up onto the hill until he was out of sight.

"I can't do this," he hissed immediately after he was on top of the hill.

"Do what? Find her father?"

Link shook his head. "I have to see Saria."

"Stop trying to put this off! It's just a visit to a princess!"

"No, it's not! Every—every girl I've cared about always asks me to see them someday and I want to but I can't because Kaepora Gaebora told me it was my fate to suffer many hardships or something like that and I'm scared, Navi, because suddenly I don't get to choose what's going on in my life anymore and everyone's telling me, do this, do that, and it puts me in _danger_ and yet still no one tells me why I'm doing it and—and—" His face was very red by now, and he took deep breaths to calm himself. "I don't want it to happen with the princess, too," he said disconsolately. "It's too much."

Navi sat herself on his lap and looked up at him. "It's all right, Link. She's a princess, so she has other things to worry about besides you. Don't worry about her. Just give her the stone and go to Lon Lon Ranch and visit Malon; it doesn't matter. Then go visit Saria, if you want. Even if you're destined to save Hyrule… you can't do it if you're not happy. And… and I'll be here for you, Link. Always."

For some reason, that helped. He remembered what he had thought about Navi when he'd first met her and felt guilty. "I'll… I'll be here for you, too. If that even makes a difference."

She flew up to his face and nudged against his cheek. "It does. But the night flies… let us fly with it. C'mon."

An hour or so away from dawn, soaking wet from having to swim in the moat, Link stood by a pile of crates, looking down at a large sleeping man.

"Excuse me," Link said doubtfully. There was a little opening that led into the castle, which he could reach only if he stood on the crates, except the man was blocking the way. "Navi…"

She got the hint, flew over to the man's ear, and began to shout. "Hey! Wake up! You're blocking the crates! Listen to me! Come on!"

And then a Cucco crowed, the man's eyes snapped open, and Navi almost fell over from shock.

Link fumbled around with his clothing, found the weird egg Malon had given him, and discovered that it had cracked open and a full-grown Cucco was sauntering around on the shell's remains.

"It's a miracle of life," Link said lamely, one eyebrow raised. "But just in time."

"What in tarnation?" the man grumbled, glaring at the boy. "Can't a person get a little shut-eye around here?" He blinked, looked at Link again, and seemed to change into a completely different person. "Hello, and who might you be?"

"Link… and this is my fai—" He realized that Navi had gone into hiding again and quickly changed the subject. "Are you… Malon's father?"

The man beamed. "Yup, I'm Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch. I went to the castle to deliver some milk, but I sat down here to rest, and I guess I fell asleep…"

Link smiled tentatively. "That's what Malon said. I think she's waiting for you at the castle gate."

Talon stood up, eyes wide. "What?! Malon was here, looking for me? I'm gonna catch it from her now! I messed up bad, leaving Malon behind to wait for me! She's really gonna let me have it!"

"Mister—"

But Talon was already gone, dashing past the startled guards, shouting all the way back to the gate.

"At least you can get in now," Navi mumbled, coming out from underneath Link's hat. "What are you going to do about that Cucco?"

"I'll manage," Link said, unceremoniously stuffing the Cucco back into his clothes. He then shoved the crates into the moat, jumped from there to the hole in the wall, and crawled through into the castle courtyard.

---

"He's coming, Impa." Her voice was a soft whisper against the lapping waters of the stream circling the courtyard.

"I know." Impa's voice was flat, a monotone. Never showing what she was thinking, that was her. A mystery, an enigma. But that was the way it should be, as the last Sheikah. She couldn't let the old traditions die, even now.

Now, when it was so close to being all over…

"What are you thinking, Impa?"

She sighed. "About the boy, Princess. About what he will mean to Hyrule."

"You believe me, right?"

"Of course. I could never ignore such an important prophecy as yours… especially when it means… death… otherwise…"

Ah, but she wasn't believing it simply because it was a prophecy from the young princess. She believed it because she _knew_.

The last of the Sheikah, guardian of the royal family.

Sometimes it hurt more than she cared to admit.

"When he comes, tell him all you know," she said suddenly. "Hold nothing back. This boy will hold the key… to everything." She backed up a few steps. "I have business to attend to. Good luck, Princess."

She found her pouch, removed a small, carefully wrapped bead, threw it to the grass, and was gone in a haze of smoke.

---

Link cleared the last few yards with a muffled cheer, trying not to shout out in joy. There had been guards patrolling the garden that led to the castle courtyard the instant he had crawled through the hole, but he had been able to evade them all. And now he stood at the entrance to the courtyard, seeing nothing but castle walls, windows, water, and plants.

But no, there _was_ someone there, facing away from him, looking through one of the windows.

He closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, and then, after a brief hesitation, tapped her on the shoulder.

---

When she felt the finger on her back, it was all she could do to stop herself from landing a kick square in the intruder's face, like Impa had taught her to do. Instead, she turned around calmly, trying not to let anything but mild surprise show on her face.

Calm, like the princess she was supposed to be.

That look of mild surprise, though, might not cut it.

The intruder was a boy.

"Who—who are you? How did you get past the guards? I—how—?"

Well, she had certainly failed at the calmness.

The boy fumbled in a pouch he carried, while a pale blue light floated around his head.

She tried not to gape at him, except he looked so familiar she found the task to be difficult. "What's that?" she asked, nodding at the light. "Is that… a fairy?! Then, you are… are you from the forest? Then… then… you wouldn't happen to have… the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, would you? That green and shining stone… do you have it?"

He gazed wide-eyed at her. Well, that was no surprise, since she had burst into speech and had given him no chance to talk.

The light—she assumed it was a fairy—hovered near the boy's ear and muttered something.

"Oh," he said, looking as if he had been shocked back into this world. Blond hair was covering his eyes, and he brushed it back, annoyed. "Yeah, I have it." And he held something up for her to see.

She squealed in delight. "Just as I thought! But… I have to tell you something." Her face sobered. "I had a dream… in the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule… but suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds, and lit up the ground. The light turned into a figure holding a green and shining stone, followed by a fairy… I know this is a prophecy that someone would come from the forest… yes! I thought you might be the one…" She paused and remembered that she had completely forgotten to tell the boy who she was. "Oh, I'm sorry! I got carried away with my story and didn't even properly introduce myself! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule," she said, and curtsied. "What is your name?"

The boy blinked several times before replying. "Link."

_Oh, goddesses, this boy—_

_ In the clouds—_

_ The Ocarina of Time—_

_ My lullaby—_

_ Blue light, and then—_

_ And then he's—_

_ Gone._

"Princess Zelda?" the boy asked, a curious look in his eyes.

"Link," she said. "I'm… I'm sorry. It's strange, but your name… it sounds somehow… familiar."

Where had all those images come from? It wasn't from her past, that she was sure of. But something had happened in what she'd seen, and it almost broke her heart. Emotion, running so deep she could barely imagine it. Such sorrow… grief… like saying goodbye to a cherished friend, knowing that you'll never see him again… bittersweet.

Her hands trembled. This boy… Link… would prove to be more important to her than what her dreams had shown. He would be… special…

She shook her head. This would be straightened out later, when she didn't have company. But for now… "Okay, Link, I'm going to tell you the secret of the Sacred Realm that has been passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule. Please keep this a secret from everyone…"

Link nodded respectfully. "Of course."

And so she told him the story of the Triforce, of how it was in the Sacred Realm, of how the ancient Sages had built the Temple of Time to protect it from the evil ones. She told him how the temple was the only way he could enter the Sacred Realm from this world, of how it was sealed by the Door of Time, and how he could only open it with the three Spiritual Stones.

"And another thing you need," she finished, "is the treasure that the Royal Family keeps along with this legend… the Ocarina of Time! Did you understand the story I just told you?"

He stood silently for a moment, as if trying to digest the new information. Well, that was fine with her, just so long as he knew what he needed to do. "I understand."

"That's great! But… I forgot to tell you…" She stepped aside so that he could see through the window she had been looking in when he'd first come. "I was spying through this window just now… the other element from my dream… the dark clouds… I believe they symbolize… that man in there! Will you look through the window at him?"

---

Link nodded again. It was all he seemed able to do, just nod along. Well, the princess really was quite talkative. And yet… she hadn't said a word when he'd told her his name. As if… his name really mattered to her. And _that_ mattered to him.

Because when she had told him her name was Zelda… that had sparked something inside him as well. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but there was something that whispered inside his mind of destiny, of courage of heroes long since gone.

And of how somehow, he would be in the midst of all this.

He walked up to the window and crouched, just as Zelda had been doing before he had come. There was a guard standing in the room, motionless, and then another man appeared, dark-skinned and cloaked, and bowed to someone Link couldn't see—the King of Hyrule?—with a wicked smile on his face.

"Can you see the man with the evil eyes?" Zelda asked in a hushed voice. "That is Ganondorf, leader of the Gerudos. They hail from the desert far to the west. Though he swears allegiance to my father, I am sure he is not sincere. The dark clouds that covered Hyrule in my dream… they must symbolize that man!"

Ganondorf completed his bow, and, without notice, turned and looked straight at Link. The Kokiri stepped back in surprise, completely taken aback.

_Those eyes… so… dark…_

"What happened?" Zelda took Link by his shoulders and dragged him to the wall, where he was out of Ganondorf's view. "Did he see you?"

Link nodded tightly.

"Don't worry. He doesn't have any idea what we're planning… yet!" She paused. "Yes. I told my father about my dream… however, he didn't believe it was a prophecy… but… I can sense that man's evil intentions! What Ganondorf is after must be nothing less than the Triforce of the Sacred Realm. He must have come to Hyrule to obtain it! And… he wants to conquer Hyrule… no, the entire world! Link…" She looked into his eyes, not once blinking.

That gaze was so familiar…

"Link, now we are the only ones that can protect Hyrule! Please. I… I am afraid that man is going to destroy Hyrule. He has such terrifying power! But it's fortunate that you have come… we must not let Ganondorf get the Triforce! I will protect the Ocarina of Time with all my power! He shall not have it! You go find the other two Spiritual Stones! Let's get the Triforce before Ganondorf does, and then defeat him! One more thing…"

"Zelda, I…"

But she was already taking out a stamped piece of paper, scribbling something on it. She handed it to him. "Take this letter… I'm sure it will be helpful to you."

He looked at it. "I'm under your orders to save Hyrule?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "You're not? Impa will see you out."

As soon as he began to leave, though, he felt her hands on his shoulders again. "Be careful," Zelda whispered in his ear, and turned away.

Link froze, looked back once at her, bit his lip, and walked out of the courtyard.

He had no sooner taken one step into the garden when a tall, white-haired woman appeared in front of him, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I—I was in a—a meeting with the—the princess!" Link babbled, terrified. "I didn't do anything!"

The woman smiled, to his amazement. "There is nothing to fear, child. I am Impa of the Sheikahs. I am responsible for protecting Princess Zelda. Everything's exactly as the princess foretold. You are a courageous boy… you are heading out on a big, new adventure, aren't you?"

Link shifted uneasily. _A new adventure forced onto me_, he thought grimly.

"My role in the princess' dream was to teach a melody to the one from the forest. This is an ancient melody passed down by the Royal Family. I have played this song for Princess Zelda as a lullaby ever since she was a baby… There is mysterious power in these notes. Now listen carefully…"

She took out her own ocarina and played a simple tune on it. "Try it."

He took out the ocarina given to him by Saria and tried playing it, but failed.

"Follow my fingerings." She leaned closer so she could see what he was doing, occasionally moving his fingers over the correct holes to produce the right sound. Eventually, he got it right, and stared at the ocarina in amazement. It seemed to suddenly… sparkle.

Impa smiled thinly. "If the castle soldiers find you, there will be trouble. Let me lead you out of the castle." She took his hand and guided him through the garden, where the guards either couldn't see him anymore or didn't care. Link didn't doubt that there was more to Impa than met the eye.

In time, they were standing by the drawbridge, looking out at Hyrule Field. "You brave lad," she said so softly he could barely hear. Her mind seemed to be in another place entirely. "We must protect this beautiful land of Hyrule… Take a good look at that mountain." She pointed, and Link looked up to where a mountain stood in the distance, ringed by smoke. "That is Death Mountain, home of the Gorons. They hold the Spiritual Stone of Fire. At the foot of Death Mountain, you will find my village, Kakariko. That is where I was born and raised. You should talk to some of the villagers there before you go up to Death Mountain. The song I just taught you… has some… mysterious power. Only Royal Family members are allowed to learn this song. Remember, it will help to prove your connection with the Royal Family. The Princess is waiting for you to return to the castle with the stones. All right. We're counting on you. Good luck, lad!"

With that, she drew something from a pouch she carried, flung it to the ground, and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Link alone to wonder what kind of life his was turning out to be.

---

A/N: I suck at cliffhangers. Oh well, maybe when he grows up and I have more chances to. And the mood… it switches way too fast. Well, anyway, go ahead and review and tell me what sucked. Augh…!


	4. Chapter Three: Melodies

A/N: Oh my gosh, I'm finally picking this up again after a year. Like, literally, a year. So, um, sorry if this next chapter sounds weird, since I'm not 'into' the story anymore, but hopefully as I write more I'll remember how I, uh, did stuff. Yup. Uh… enjoy? (Insert violent coughing here…)

---

**Chapter Three: Melodies**

He stood there for a few moments, staring at the spot where Impa had stood, trying to figure out what he should do next. He supposed that he should be a good boy and go to Kakariko Village to fulfill his "destiny" or whatever it was, but as new and exciting this adventure was, there were still Malon and Saria to consider. And he would _not_ not visit them.

Malon first, he decided—he had passed Lon Lon Ranch on the way to Hyrule Market, and it was much closer to where he was now than Kokiri Forest. When he announced his intentions to Navi, she just rolled his eyes and told him if he wanted Hyrule to fall into ruin, that was his problem. So he set off for the ranch at a brisk pace, anxious to get there before sunset, not knowing what kind of things roamed around in Hyrule Field when dark.

The sun was on the horizon when he finally arrived. He was hot and tired and thirsty, and he stumbled in blindly, glad simply to have reached the ranch before dark. His mood, however, improved greatly once he heard someone humming… a girl. Malon. He coughed, brushed off the dust from his tunic, and approached the corral, where she was standing with her eyes closed, humming a tune.

Her eyes opened immediately once she heard his footfalls, and a smile slid across her face. "Oh, it's the fairy boy again!" she said happily.

Link tried to think of something he could say that sounded cheerful, but his mind shut down on him. "Yeah, that's right," he replied rather lamely. He didn't know why he sounded so indifferent, because in fact he was very glad to see her as well. He blamed the rock he had tripped over on the way here.

The smile widened. She began talking about how he had found her father and how funny that had been, then abruptly changed the subject to the pony that was now trotting away from them. "It seems like Epona is afraid of you, fairy boy," she said.

He grunted noncommittally.

She didn't seem to notice and changed the subject once again to the song she had been humming. "My mother composed this song… isn't it nice? Let's sing together."

"I don't want to sing," he stated flatly. He still wasn't sure why he seemed so grumpy to her.

"Please?"

"Well…" He brought out the Fairy Ocarina and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'll play the song with this. That good enough?"

"Perfect!" she squealed. She closed her eyes again and began to hum, and Link followed along the best he could with the ocarina. When he finally managed to play through the song without messing up, he could feel Epona nudge up against him.

Malon smiled once again. "Oh, Epona! She's grown fond of you, fairy boy…"

He permitted himself a brief grin and stroked Epona's mane.

From without, a wolf howled.

"Well, fairy boy," Malon said, "I guess you'll have to spend the night. I'm sure Dad won't mind…" And before he could say anything in protest—not that he had been about to, though—she had taken his hand and led him out of the corral and into her house.

"Good night, fairy boy," she crooned at him after tucking him into an unused bed, sounding very much like a mother. The mother he had never had…

"'Night, Malon," he managed, and was asleep in moments.

---

When he woke up, it was only dawn, but he could already hear Malon humming outside as she tended to the horses. Definitely time to leave. He wondered briefly whether or not he should say goodbye to her, but decided that she was too busy and that he'd have plenty of time to visit the ranch again once he found the other two Spiritual Stones.

He slipped out quietly, with no one noticing his leaving save for Navi, who banged against his head annoyingly, chittering about wasting his time and how he needed to go see Saria now.

"I _am_ going to see her, you stupid fairy," he said more than once, trying futilely to swat at her as he trudged toward Kokiri Forest. She flew past his flailing arm nimbly, happily, glad that they were going back to the forest. He thought that she'd be mad at him for sidestepping his "destiny" again to make yet another visit, but he supposed that she had gotten homesick. _Homesick already?_ He shrugged mentally. Fairies were completely different creatures…

As they got closer to the forest, his mind began to wander. He remembered how it had been when he'd left. Saria, making him promise that he would come back. And Mido… Mido, screaming at him, screaming at how he had killed the Deku Tree…

He stopped walking abruptly. Navi, who was still talking about how great it would be to see the forest again, flew ahead without noticing, then paused and looked back at him. "What are you doing?" she snapped. "C'mon! Let's go!"

Link looked down at the grass and scuffed his boots. "I forgot about Mido," he mumbled. "I can't go back."

Navi stared at him. "Who cares about Mido? He's just one boy. Is our ickle Linky-poo too scared to face down big, bad Mido?" She giggled and flew away.

"Hey!" Link shouted. "You can't diss me like that and just fly off!" He began chasing after her, and the next thing he knew, he was standing on the bridge that led into the forest. "Thanks, Navi," he said wryly.

She grinned in reply.

Well, there was no hope for it now. He might as well go in.

To his shock, Mido was not standing around waiting to pounce onto him. In fact, he wasn't standing around anywhere that Link could see. He exhaled slowly and went to Saria's house, glad that he didn't have to endure some other bizarre face-off.

He walked into her house.

There was no one there.

He cursed silently, realizing that she must be in that "secret place" she had talked about before he had left the forest. Well, that was a problem. He had no idea where the secret place was.

He walked around for a while, asking the other Kokiri children if they knew where she was, but got mostly vague answers such as, "Saria said she's waiting at the usual spot." Very helpful. Finally, a girl told him to go ask Mido, who might know. He sighed, realizing that he _would_ have to face the other guy after all, and trudged warily toward his house.

When he entered, Mido was sitting on a chair, sulking. "Mido?" Link asked tentatively.

Mido frowned. "If you're looking for Saria, she's in the Lost Woods, as usual." He saw confusion flash across Link's face and laughed spitefully—which, considering the dark mood he had been in right before Link left, was almost welcome. "Don't tell me you don't know where that is! The entrance is up on the cliff overlooking the village! I know you'll get lost!" He paused, then added almost regretfully, "Don't worry, you just end up back at the entrance. Humph!"

"Uh. Thanks," Link said, and hurried off, wondering where Mido's rage upon last seeing him had gone, but grateful that it was no longer there nonetheless.

He made his way to the Woods without any problems, although making his way _through_ the Woods was a completely different issue. He got lost promptly and ended up at the entrance, just as Mido had said, several times. Finally, he got in far enough so that he could just hear the beginnings of a faint tune through the hollowed tree trunks that were the passageways.

"Hoot hoot!" he heard suddenly, just as he was going to go through another trunk, and turned around, gasping, trying to find the source of the sound.

"Don't eat me," Link said loudly, remembering the stories of what had happened to some people who had wandered into the Woods.

"Link, you idiot, it's the owl," Navi grumbled, and motioned upward, where indeed, the owl, Kaepora Gaebora, sat on a branch.

"Good to see you again! Listen to this! Hoot hoot… after going through the Lost Woods, you will come upon the Sacred Forest Meadow. That is a sacred place where few people have ever walked."

_Big surprise_, thought Link sourly, still embarrassed at having been afraid of an owl.

Kaepora Gaebora continued on, unaware of Link's thoughts. "Shh… what's that? I can hear a mysterious tune… you should listen for that tune too… hoo hoo hoo! If you are courageous, you will make it through the forest just fine… just follow your ears and listen to the sounds coming from the forest! Hoot hoot!" And without pausing to make sure Link had gotten all that, he flew away.

"What was the point of that?" Link asked exasperatedly after the owl had flown off. "Does he think I'm stupid?"

"He wouldn't be wrong," Navi said, smirking, and Link permitted himself a small smile. "C'mon, let's go!"

They continued through the forest, following the faint melody they heard until they found themselves standing in what was, according to the sign conveniently placed there, the Sacred Forest Meadow.

Link smiled jauntily at Navi, then turned to face the gate in front of them. The smile slid off his face as he walked closer toward it. "How am I supposed to—"

A wolf thing reared out of the ground to his side, howling madly. Link shouted out wildly, pulling out his Kokiri Sword to randomly swipe at the creature. He could barely hear Navi screech, "It's a Wolfos!" before a giant claw came whooshing over his head.

"What am I supposed to do?" Link asked, sounding panicked.

"Kill it, what else?" Navi shrieked in return.

The Wolfos swiped at him again, and he hurriedly brought up the Deku Shield to block it. In the instant immediately following the swipe, Link noticed the Wolfos was completely vulnerable. He thrust his sword into its chest and watched as it exploded into brilliant white fire, then slumped to the floor, exhausted, barely aware of the fact that the gate had come down.

Navi nudged at him, trying to get him to get up. "You can't be this tired every time you fight a monster, you know," she said admonishingly. "Ickle Linky-poo needs to get big and strong."

"Will you stop calling me that?" muttered Link, standing up slowly and brushing himself off. He looked at his shield. The red design on it was marred by the Wolfos scratching it, but other than that, it was fine. He put it away. "I haven't… used my sword against anything since Gohma," he said. "I… didn't know I'd have to use it again so soon."

"Get used to it, boy," Navi said, and nudged him into the opening where the gate had once stood. "Right. So this next part, from what I've seen, appears to be a maze of some sorts. There are those crazy Deku things in there, so keep your shield up. We'll eventually find Saria if you don't lose your wits."

Ten minutes later, he was walking up a set of stairs that seemed to lead into another clearing, his Deku Shield looking mashed with the impact of all the seeds that had hit it. But the tune they had first heard when entering the Lost Woods was at its loudest now, and he knew Saria was near.

She materialized before his eyes once he was within five feet of her, laughing at his shock. The trick never got old. "I've been waiting for you, Link," she said softly. "This is the Sacred Forest Meadow. It's my secret place…"

Well, no wonder it was secret, everyone who had tried finding their way here had probably ended up back in the forest.

"That's right," she said, laughing.

Link gaped at her, wondering if she had just somehow read his mind. "W-well," he stammered. "I found you, so, uh, yeah."

Saria leaned forward. "Don't forget how to get here," she said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Because… I feel this place will be very important for both of us someday. That's what I feel." She straightened. "If you play the ocarina here, you can talk with the spirits in the forest. Would you like to play the ocarina with me?"

"Sure," he replied, and brought his ocarina out. He hoped that he wouldn't have to memorize another song, though.

She saw his expression and laughed again. "It's not hard to learn, really." She brought out her own ocarina and played a simple tune on it, then glanced over at him to make sure he was following her fingerings.

Saria had been right; the song hadn't been hard to learn at all. He got it down in a matter of seconds.

"Great!" she said when he was done, clapping her hands. "Please don't forget this song… do you promise?" She waited for him to nod, then continued. "When you want to hear my voice, play Saria's Song. You can talk with me anytime…"

He smiled uncertainly at her. "I'll play it whenever I can," he promised. Navi, despite her joy at returning to the forest, was beginning to get restless again, mumbling in his ear and telling him to get a move on. "I have go to now," he said, pulling himself away slowly.

She gave him a wistful look. "Come back soon," she whispered. "I'll be here… waiting. Because you're my friend…"

Link suddenly got the feeling that he would not see her again for a long, long time. "Friends to the end," he said, smiled briefly, and turned away, all the while fighting the urge to look back.

---

Link and Navi stood at the entrance to the Kakariko Graveyard, looking nervously at the tombstones and feeling edgy about the lack of any sound whatsoever, save for the little boy's footfalls. They had arrived at Kakariko Village without incident, having spent most of the day first navigating their way out of the Sacred Forest Meadow and the Lost Woods, seeing Kaepora Gaebora while at it, then running through Hyrule Field until they had finally arrived at the village, the sun having just set below the horizon. The guard standing outside the village had commented on how strange it was for a little boy to be wandering around at night, then, guffawing, had told him that if he wanted to be brave, he should go visit the graveyard. For some reason, it had seemed like a great idea, except now, as the night darkened around him and the graveyard, he could feel only stupidity. And, well, fear.

He started as the little boy who had been playing near the graves ran past him, probably headed for home. He should go, too. He didn't know why he was still here.

"Look, Link!" Navi cried. She was floating around the far end of the graveyard. He walked up to her and noticed the grave she had been flying around. The grass planted in front of it was shaped like the Triforce. "It's the sign of the Royal Family… remember what Impa told you after she taught you the lullaby? Maybe you should play it here!"

He nodded stiffly and brought the ocarina out. Yes, that seemed right. Placing the instrument against his lips, he began to play, messing up the first time but getting it right at his second attempt.

Without warning, the sky darkened, and it began to rain heavily. A bolt of lightning struck the grave he had been facing, making it explode into a million pieces, showering everything with bits of stone. Link was thrown back by the force of it, nearly hitting his head on another tombstone. Just as suddenly, the rain let up—only a drizzle now, compared to the downpour from before.

"Ugh." Link shook his head slowly and stood up. "What was _that_ about?"

"There's a hole, Link!" Navi replied. "Look, where the grave used to be…"

She was right. A small, squarish hole occupied the space where the Royal Family's tombstone had once stood. He wondered if he should jump in. He hoped there was something soft to cushion his fall if he did. "I'm going down," he announced, and dropped in.

The room he had fallen into was dark and dreary. Bones were littered everywhere, and something—he wasn't sure if it was water—dripped from the ceiling. There was also a soft flapping noise, though he didn't know what that was.

"The flapping noises are made by Keese," Navi whispered in his ear. "I think there are four of them in the room. Use your slingshot on them before they notice you…"

Automatically, he brought his slingshot out and hurled his Deku Seeds at them, trying not to listen as they died. It didn't seem to affect him as much as it had before, though. Funny.

There was a screeching sound, like metal on metal, and he realized that a gate had opened. He went through it, not really knowing what he would find on the other side, but sure that if this place had a gate that he could only unlock after doing something, there must be something worthwhile down here.

He found himself in another room, this one with pits of some sort of smoking green substance. Something in here was moaning—something, which he realized with a shock, that was human in shape, but dull gray in color with blank sockets where the eyes should have been.

Navi, who was floating around his head, stiffened and fell to his shoulder. "Redeads!" she gasped tersely. "Oh, Link, please, get out of this place, you don't want to face up against these guys."

For some reason, her worrying made him feel better. "Come on, what is there to worry about? If they're dead, they can't do anything." He smiled rather cockily. "Let's go." Navi continued to fret, but he paid no heed, practically skipping down the corridor leading to the room with the Redeads.

Everything was going absolutely fine when suddenly, as he was passing in front of one, he heard a terrible screeching sound and found that he couldn't move anymore. He tried to say his fairy's name, but his mouth refused to form the word.

_Why can't I move?_

_ What's happening to me?_

From the corner of his eye, he could see the Redead lurching toward him, slowly but surely. His stomach churned violently.

"Link!" he heard Navi shout. Even though she was flying right in front of him, she sounded so far away. "Just… just think about moving! Think! As hard as you can before it gets you! You have to break free of its stare!"

_Before it gets me?_

His stomach churned some more. He thought that if he weren't frozen, he would have thrown up by now.

_Stop thinking about random things!_

He gritted his teeth—or tried to, anyway—and concentrated on running through Hyrule Field, what it had felt like, the contracting and lengthening of his muscles as he went.

_Move!_

Feeling came back into his limbs, and he found himself sprawled onto the floor, having been unfrozen in mid-step.

"Link, get up!" Navi screeched.

He couldn't. He was too dizzy. Oh Goddesses, how terrible that had felt…

Then before he knew it, the Redead was on top of him, mouth fastened to his neck, sucking at his blood.

"_Link!_" he heard his fairy scream.

He gagged at the feeling of the Redead on his back. The Kokiri Sword was still in its sheath, but he could not summon enough strength to pull it out. And yet if he did not do it now, he wouldn't get another chance, because he was getting weaker each second…

Thoughts of Zelda crowded into his mind. Strange, that Zelda should be so prominent. He hadn't really thought about her since leaving the castle. Had he done that on purpose? Something about the Princess had reminded him of something, but he didn't know what that something was, and that scared him…

He suddenly remembered her words. _Link, now we are the only ones that can protect Hyrule…_

Just the two of them.

He couldn't let her down.

Finding some hidden last reserve of strength, he unsheathed the Kokiri Sword with a yell and swiped at the thing on his back. It moaned in response, and he hacked at it again, his fear and anger taking over. Finally, he could feel the pressure on his neck lessen as the Redead slid off of him, truly dead.

He closed his eyes slowly, still sprawled on the ground. Goddesses, that had been so terrible. He didn't want to face one of those things ever again.

And to think! How could he have been so stupid, so overconfident? Already dead, he had said. But he had never known that dead things could be so dangerous.

Navi appeared in front of his face; he could see her glow through his eyelids. "I don't mean to hurry you, Link," she said, her voice shaking, "but even though these Redeads have a pretty limited field of vision, they're bound to notice you eventually. And then they'll come for you."

Just the thought of having to face off against more Redeads sent him into a wild panic, giving him the energy required to pull himself up onto his feet. "I want to go back," he whispered hoarsely.

"No!" Navi snapped, her glow flashing in anger. "Did you let that Redead get you for nothing? Come on, we have to at least find out what great secret is in here."

Link glanced wearily at the other Redeads, who still seemed ignorant of him. "All right." He walked slowly, one step at a time, not caring where his feet went as long as it was away from the Redeads' piercing glare. He could barely even feel the smoking green substance, which turned out to be acid, eating away at his boots as he stepped into it. He had lost too much blood, he knew. His skin was white.

Eventually, the two of them arrived in yet another room, this one blissfully free of any Redeads. Pits of acid occupied two sides of the room, leaving only a small raised surface he could safely walk across. At its end there was a wall with something inscribed into it. "Read it to me," Link said tiredly. "I can't focus on it."

Navi obidiently flew over and began to read it out loud, her small voice clear and sure in the gloom. "'This poem is dedicated to the memory of the dearly departed members of the Royal Family. _The rising sun will eventually set, a newborn's life will fade. From sun to moon, moon to sun… Give peaceful rest to the living dead._'" She looked at him. "This is an interesting poem, isn't it? Oh, there's something else here… I think it's a song. Bring out your ocarina."

"I don't want to learn another song," he said thickly. He'd already learned three in the past few days. He didn't want to learn a fourth.

"It might help in defeating the Redeads," Navi suggested tentatively.

That was enough to convince him. "Fine." He brought out his ocarina. The ocarina that Saria had given him. Funny, how it should come with him to the world of the dead when it had come from such a living place. He shook his head slowly. What was he thinking? That wasn't funny. Ironic, maybe. Not funny. Nothing about this place was funny.

He brought the ocarina to his lips and played the notes that were scrawled onto the wall, then paused to see if anything had happened. Nothing did.

Navi looked back at the wall. "There's a little more," she said. "'_Restless souls wander where they don't belong, bring them calm with the Sun's Song._'"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Assuming the thing you just learned was the Sun's Song… restless souls… what are restless souls?"

Something clicked inside Link's head. "Navi, I think they're talking about… Redeads." Just saying the word sent a thrill of fear down his spine. "If I play the song… then… they'll be calm?"

"Link, do I even have to tell you how stupid that sounds?"

"It could work," he said defensively, swaying in the process. He needed rest, but there was no way he was going to let himself collapse in here. If he did, he thought, he might never get up again.

He attempted to stretch, got dizzy, and quickly stopped. "Let's go." With Navi following behind him, he stumbled to the entrance of the room with the Redeads, trying not to shudder as they came into view. He put the ocarina to his lips and slowly played the song he had just learned, praying that it would affect the Redeads in someway.

There was a freezing sound, and he looked up quickly. The Redeads were still standing there, but they were all encased in ice. They wouldn't be able to move. He smiled wearily and dragged himself as quickly as he could past them until he was standing, at last, in the first room, in front of the hexagonal raising that would bring him back into the graveyard.

Smiling, he stepped onto it and felt himself being raised away, away from both the dead and the living dead, back to the world where only the living were.

---

A/N: At this point, I'm wondering if the next chapter should only contain Dodongo's Cavern or both the Cavern and Jabu Jabu's Belly… depending on how much I decide to skim through the dungeons, focusing only on the boss battles… any thoughts, anyone? Cough…


	5. Chapter Four: Goron Brothers

A/N: Wow, this chapter turned out a lot longer than I had planned it to. Got into too much detail with the dungeon… and for some reason I really like meaningless dialogue. Huh. I would have added more, but I try to keep my chapters less than ten pages on Word, and this one is now on page eleven, so yeah. Why am I writing this again? Who knows…

---

**Chapter Four: Goron Brothers**

The next two days were a blur. When Link resurfaced in Kakariko Graveyard, it was sunset, and Navi, putting two and two together, realized that the Sun's Song had made time go faster. Link had played it twice, so almost a full day had passed since he had gone under.

Not that any of that had mattered to Link, though. The loss of blood was beginning to play on him heavily, and it was all he could do to stumble out of the graveyard and to a house somewhere down in the village, where a woman found him collapsed on the ground and took him in. She woke him up long enough to feed him some sort of bitter-tasting red medicine, which instantly soothed him and put him to sleep.

Every now and then he would wake up, feeling weak and tired. The lady would spoon some soup in his mouth, and he would fall asleep again.

Finally, two days later, he woke up and did not feel like collapsing onto his bed. His clothes were on a table next to him, clean and free of blood and grime. He himself, he realized, had been washed as well, probably while he was unconscious. There was some sort of salve on his back, which spread over the gash he had received while fighting Gohma. His neck and feet were bandaged from his encounter with the Redeads.

"Navi?" he called out tentatively.

She flew out from under his pillow, which, as it turned out, was where she had been hiding for the past few days.

"It took you long enough to wake up," she snapped. "I was dying of boredom."

"Glad to see you too," he replied, smiling. "What happened to me?"

Navi pursed her lips and looked at him. "As you may remember, you had just fought a Redead." Link shuddered, but she did not pause. "So after you came out of the tomb, you somehow made your way out of the graveyard, stumbled past the well, went down the steps there, and collapsed. A woman was walking by and she found you there and took you to her house. Then she left and came back with some red stuff, which she fed you. And _then_ you fell asleep and woke up long enough just to eat some soup and then of course you fell asleep again, while I had to hide under your pillow the whole time waiting for you to wake up! I had to do this for two days! Do you know how long that is? And I couldn't even go under your hat because she washed it…"

He cut off her protests with a laugh. "I'm up now, Navi. I guess this means we should finally go to Death Mountain…"

She sniffed. "Of course. Though you might have to stay here a little while longer because of your feet…"

"My feet?" They had been bandaged, he knew, but he couldn't remember why.

Navi rolled her eyes. "After you killed the Redead you were so dizzy you could barely see where you were going, don't you remember? You stepped in the green stuff. The acid. Look, the lady even got you new boots because your old ones burned away…"

She pointed at the foot of his bed, and he looked. Sure enough, a new pair of boots was sitting there, waiting for his feet.

He smiled and got out of bed, then immediately got back in, wincing at the pain his feet were in. "Great," he mumbled.

There was a noise from outside his room, and Navi hurriedly flew under Link's pillow. The door opened, and a short and rather plump brown-haired woman bustled in, holding a bowl of soup. "So you're finally up!" she said, and immediately walked over to him to begin feeding him the soup. "I was afraid you weren't going to make it, child. How did you get all of these injuries?"

"Playing in the graveyard," Link replied, and quickly swallowed some more soup. He didn't want to talk about it.

The woman tittered and shook her head, but thankfully did not say anything else concerning that subject. "Now, you mustn't get out of bed," she said. "Your feet are still badly damaged. I've tried finding your parents, though I've had no luck. You don't come from around here, do you?" She cast a sideways glance at his clothes. He knew just as well as she did that no one but the Kokiri dressed like that.

Link shook his head, feeling uncomfortable.

She eyed him critically, then turned away. "There's some bread on the table if you're hungry, dear," she said. "But right now I'd advise for you to get some more sleep." He nodded in reply, and she left, closing the door behind her.

Navi came out of hiding. "Don't even think of leaving today," she said gruffly. "Follow her advice. Go to sleep, and we'll talk some more tomorrow."

He smiled at her, took her suggestion for once, and was asleep in moments.

---

_He stands in the castle courtyard, alone save for the girl who is standing at the window, trying to peer into the castle. He tries to approach her, but cannot. She does not notice him._

_ But then a wicked laugh sounds, and both he and the girl turn around to face its source._

_ Nothing is there._

_ Without warning, the castle falls into darkness. The white walls are tainted with black soot and grime. The flowers wilt and die. The river circling the courtyard dries up._

_ He turns around to face the girl again, who takes notice of him this time. "Link," the girl says. "Hyrule is falling into ruin. You must collect the other two Spiritual Stones quickly, before it is too late. Only with those can you unlock the Door of Time…"_

_ Then the darkness enfolds the girl as well, and she vanishes. Her voice, however, continues to echo on the barren walls. "Collect the other two Spiritual Stones… before it is too late… unlock the Door of Time… Time… Time…"_

_ "Zelda!" he screams into the darkness, but there is no one there to reply save for his own echo…_

---

Link woke up with a start. "Zelda," he breathed. He turned around and lifted up his pillow, where Navi was still sleeping. Her eyes opened slowly and she glared blearily at him. "I've put off going to Death Mountain long enough," he told her. "I'm leaving. Today. Now."

"Bah," Navi said in reply. "As long as your feet are okay…"

"They are," he said, without knowing whether it was true or not. He grabbed his clothes and began putting them on, then gingerly slid his feet into his boots. It still hurt, but he tried not to let it show.

The bread was still sitting on the table next to where his clothes had been, and he hurriedly stuffed it into one of his pockets. He didn't know how much food he'd be able to find while on top of a mountain. "Ready?" he asked Navi, making sure he still had his slingshot and Kokiri Sword.

"Yeah," Navi said from underneath his hat.

He straightened and quietly left his room, then, before leaving the house altogether, put half of his remaining Rupees on a table. He felt bad at leaving the woman without any warning, and the least he could do was to pay her back for her hospitality.

It was just before dawn when he left, and there was no one milling about save for a guy who sat at the base of the tree closest to the entrance to the village, but he ignored him. He went up a set of stairs to the west of the village, then went up another set of stairs, ending up in front of a closed gate that blocked his path to Death Mountain. He glanced uncertainly at it, then looked at the sign posted there. "No passage without a Royal Decree," he read to himself. "Where am I supposed to get a royal decree?"

"You fool, you already have one!" Navi muttered in his ear. "Remember? Zelda gave you one!"

"That's right," Link said, bringing it out slowly, then abruptly remembered his dream again from last night. Princess Zelda… what had happened to her when the darkness ate her up? Was she in danger at this very moment, or was that just a glimpse of what might come if he failed to find the other Spiritual Stones?

He shook his head. There was no way to find out.

"Hey!"

Link turned to face the gate again. There was a guard standing there. He wondered how he hadn't noticed him before.

"The road is closed beyond this point!" the guard was saying. "Can't you read the sign over there? Oh, I see. You're just a kid, and you can't read yet." He laughed.

Link frowned at him. "I just read it."

The guard laughed some more. "Of course you—"

Annoyed now, Link brought out Zelda's letter and shoved it into his face—or tried to, anyway, since he barely came up to the other's waist. The guard stopped laughing and stared at it. "Oh, this is… this is surely Princess Zelda's handwriting! Well, let's see… hmm… okay…" He took the letter from Link's hand and stared at it even closer. "'_This is Link… he is under my orders to save Hyrule._'" He laughed again, his loudest yet. "What kind of funny game has our Princess come up with now? Okay, okay, all right. You can go now… just be careful, Mr. Hero!" Still laughing—Link couldn't figure out what was so funny about it—he pressed a button and the gate slowly slid open.

Link passed through, giving the guard one last look before staring on the trail. Easily amused, that one. Though it was nice that someone could still be amused like that… even now…

He put the thought away and continued up Death Mountain Trail. An hour later, he saw a brownish…thing with pale spots seated in front of a giant rock, looking sad. He approached him cautiously, alone now that Navi had decided to hide under his hat again.

The thing looked up from its hunched-down position, regarding him with large, circular eyes. It stood up, groaning as it did so. Link tried to think of something he could say, but failed miserably.

"I am one of the Gorons, the stone-eating people who live on Death Mountain," the thing said, looking at Link with a small trace of amusement on his round face.

Oh. That made sense. "Hi," Link managed weakly. The Goron was very large.

The other grunted and gestured at the giant boulder. "Look at that! It blocks the entrance to the Dodongo's Cavern, which was once a very important place for us Gorons… but one day, many Dodongos suddenly appeared inside the cavern. It became a very dangerous place! On top of that, a Gerudo in black armor used his magic to seal the entrance with that boulder!" He sat back down again, huffing with the effort, but looking pleased that he had vented at someone.

Link thought about what he had said. The Gerudo in black armor was undoubtedly Ganondorf… which meant that he had come here and terrorized the Gorons as well. Why would he seal the cavern, though? And put Dodongos in it? It didn't seem to make any sense.

"Thanks for the, er, information," Link said, and continued up the trail, wondering.

Another hour later, and Link was at Goron City. It was huge and looked as if it had been carved out of a giant stone. From his vantage point at the top, he could see a giant pot sitting in the middle of the city on the lowest level, probably also made out of stone. There were also a few ropes that stretched to a point in the center of the top level, where a depressed-looking Goron and some sort of display sat. He decided to go there.

The Goron looked up at him as he approached, standing up protectively to shield the display. "Hey!" he grunted. "It's dangerous for a little kid like you to come out here! You might fall down!"

Link shrugged. "I've had my share of falls," he replied rather boldly.

The Goron frowned at him. "If I'm not mistaken, then, you came out here to eat the red stone! Well, too bad! It's not here!"

So _that_ was what the display used to show. Though it didn't really make sense as to why the Goron was there if the red stone wasn't.

Link paused, not knowing what to say. "I'm not here to eat the red stone," he said finally. "I'm looking for the Spiritual Stone of Fire."

"What? A 'Spiritual Stone'? You must mean that delicious-looking stone that was once displayed here!" The Goron huffed angrily, then pouted. "I was so hungry that I thought it would be okay to just give it one tiny little lick, so I snuck out here," he confessed. "But it was already gone! I think Big Brother took it away. He always says that everyone is after that red stone! Now he's shut up in his room, saying, 'I will wait in here for the Royal Family's messenger!'" He gave a little wail, then hunched over again, clearly not wanting to talk to Link anymore. Link sighed and left the display.

"Who's Big Brother?" Navi asked, peeking out of his hat. "If that Goron's right, then that means 'Big Brother' has the Stone… and that he's waiting for you…"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Link said, and went off in search of another Goron. There was another one on the second level, seated in front of a tunnel.

"Do you have any sirloin rocks?" the Goron asked immediately after Link came into view. Link shook his head, startled by his suddenness. "I'm so hungry," he moaned. "We can't enter our quarry, Dodongo's Cavern! All the best rocks are in there. But that seems like ancient history now… we've become such gourmets that we can't stand to eat rocks from anywhere else!"

"Oh," Link said uselessly. So what was Ganondorf trying to do, starve the Gorons into extinction? For some reason, the idea seemed funny to him, and he laughed, regretting it immediately. The Goron was glaring at him. "Sorry," Link managed hastily. "Um… do you know where the Spiritual Stone is?" Directness, he thought, was always the best policy.

The Goron scratched his head. "That red stone that was lighting up our city? Big Brother Darunia took it away. Then, he shut himself up in his room and won't come out. Since then, it feels like all the lights in the city have gone out… everyone seems so… depressed… I want you to bring fire from Big Brother's room back here."

"Where's Big Brother's room?" Link asked quickly.

"Down there…" The Goron pointed at a closed door on the first level. Then, as Link hurried toward the stairs, the Goron shouted, "Don't forget the fire!" Link grunted something in reply and continued on.

Minutes later, he was standing in front of the door. "Well, you know what to do," Navi said petulantly.

"What?" Link replied in surprise, not knowing at all. Although he had to say, for a people who liked rocks so much, this plush carpet beneath his injured feet was feeling very nice…

Navi rolled her eyes. "The Goron at the top of the city said he was waiting for the Royal Family's messenger, didn't he? Play Zelda's Lullaby, duh!"

Link looked darkly at her. "Exactly what I was going to do." He pulled out his Fairy Ocarina and put it to his lips. The instant he was done with his song, something chimed, and the door slid open.

He walked in. The door had opened onto a long corridor with a room at the end. From what he could see, at least two torches were burning brightly in the corners of the room. And at the center…

He was definitely the biggest Goron Link had seen yet. He stood up straight, not hunched over like the other Gorons, and had a white bearded face. Link had the feeling that this wasn't someone you wanted to piss off.

The Goron noticed him, a flash of anger crossing his face. "What the heck? Who are you?" he roared.

Link had seen a lot of scary things before, but nothing—well, except for maybe Redeads—scared him as much as this Goron. "Link," he replied in a voice that didn't sound like his own.

The other didn't seem to notice. "When I heard the song of the Royal Family, I expected their messenger had arrived, but… you're just a little kid! Has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons, really lost so much status to be treated like this by his Sworn Brother, the King? Now I'm _really_ angry! Get out of my face!"

Link tried to say something, but he was still shocked too at the other's tirade to do so.

Darunia glared at him. "Are you asking me why I'm in such a bad mood right now?" His face was reddening as he spoke. "Ancient creatures have infested the Dodongo's Cavern! We've had a poor harvest of our special crop, Bomb Flowers! Starvation and hunger because of the rock shortage! But… this is a Goron problem! We don't need any help from strangers!" He crossed his arms and dared Link to say something in reply.

"I… I… I'm just going to get some of this fire," Link stammered, and before Darunia could shout at him anymore, brought out a Deku Stick, lit it against one of the torches, and ran back to the Goron in front of the tunnel.

The Goron watched him as he lit the two torches there and then asked, "How was Big Brother?" Link's face twitched, and the Goron nodded knowingly. "I see. By the way, do you know the music coming from deep inside of this tunnel? We all like this music!"

Link looked curiously at him, then ventured into it. To his surprise, he heard… the Lost Woods music. Saria's Song. He went further into it when suddenly, everything turned white around him and he found himself actually in the Lost Woods. "How… what…?"

"Portal," Navi replied happily. "Looks like you'll be able to get easily between these two places now. But I think you arriving here has given the Goron you were talking to a rather bad scare, so maybe you should go back."

He nodded, still wondering how this was possible. Goron City was so far away. But now, with a few steps, he could return… to the one home he ever had… He turned around, back into the tunnel, and arrived in Goron City again. The Goron looked at him with a puzzled expression, but did not say anything. "So all of the Gorons like this music?" Link asked, and the other nodded. It seemed like a long shot, but maybe this would help… He quickly thanked the Goron and went back to Darunia's room.

Darunia watched him as he approached, brows knitted. "Hi," Link said, trying to sound as happy as he could. Then, quickly, before Darunia could say something in return, Link brought out his ocarina and played Saria's Song. He watched as the Goron's expression changed from anger to astonishment, then from astonishment to joy. And then, much to Link's horror, he began to dance wildly. He hurriedly moved out of the way as Darunia, with a grace that belied his size, caroused through the room. Finally, the Goron stopped, assumed a haughty look, and, surprisingly, smiled down at him.

"What a nice tune!" he bellowed. "Just like that, my depression is all gone! Something just came over me! I suddenly wanted to dance like crazy!" The smile disappeared, and he straightened importantly. "I am Darunia! I'm the big boss of the Gorons! Was there something you wanted to ask me about?"

"Well, the Gorons I talked to said you had the Spiritual—"

Darunia eyed him critically. "What? You want the Spiritual Stone of Fire, too? The Spiritual Stone of Fire, also known as the Goron's Ruby, is our race's hidden treasure… but hold on, I'm not going to give it to you that easily."

Link sighed inwardly. He had been hoping that Darunia would do exactly that, to just give it to him without a second thought. He hoped he wouldn't have to go kill a giant Dodongo, whatever those were, or something like that to get it, though…

"If you want it so badly," Darunia continued, "why don't you go destroy the monsters inside of the Dodongo's Cavern and prove you're a real man? That way, everybody will be happy again! If you do it, I will give you anything you want, even the Spiritual Stone!"

_I just ate my own words_, Link thought glumly. _I'll have to fight those Dodongo things after all._ He nodded, but did not trust himself to speak.

"Good!" Darunia said, then began removing something from his wrist. "I have something for you, then. I'm not really giving you this in return for anything, but take it anyway. If you wear this, even a little fella like you can pick up a Bomb Flower!" He handed the thing to Link, then clapped him roughly on the back, almost causing him to fall over. "It's the Goron's Bracelet!" he said brightly. "Now, destroy the monsters in the Dodongo's Cavern and become a real man! Then, we can talk about the Spiritual Stone!"

Link smiled wryly at the big Goron and turned away. Somehow collecting the other two Spiritual Stones wasn't proving out to be as easy as he had hoped it would be…

---

His first order of business was to unblock the giant rock covering the entrance to the Cavern. He made his way out of Goron City, then found yet another Goron sitting next to what turned out to be a Bomb Flower, which was exactly what it sounded like—a bomb growing like a flower. After exchanging a few words with the Goron, he picked up the bomb growing there—he wondered vaguely if he would have been able to do this without Darunia's bracelet—then threw it down the cliff to where the giant boulder was. It exploded with a brilliant yellowish flash, and all that remained after it was blown up was, what else, an entrance.

He looked down at it and realized quickly that the fastest way to get down there was to backflip off the ledge he was standing on now. And with a coy grin at Navi, he did exactly that.

She was still screaming at him angrily when he got up. "What the hell was that about?" she shouted. "Do you have to do such show-offy things like that all the time? And now look," she snapped, watching him rub his feet, "you've aggravated your feet even more. How do you plan making your way through the cavern like that?"

Link just smiled at her and continued to massage them. Then, as noon approached, he stood up, checked his things once again to make sure everything he needed was there, and walked in.

---

The first thing he saw was a blocked wall. After kicking at it rather uselessly and aggravating his feet further, he noticed a Bomb Flower growing in a corner of the room. He picked it up, put it at the stone wall, and let it explode.

He walked through the new opening cautiously, finding a cavernous room beyond. It was almost completely dark except for the lava pits, which glowed a bright red, and the balls of fire floating around at the top of the room—which, Navi told him, were Keese on fire. Directly in front of him was a giant skull of some sort of lizard and a strange thing made out of two balls that Navi called a Beamos. To his left and right were ledges that rose up above the lava pits. Beamos stood there too.

After a brief hesitation, he decided to go left—there was a wall there that looked like the one he had bombed earlier, so maybe he could bomb this one too. He found a Bomb Flower, plucked out the bomb, and hurled it at the wall. It exploded, revealing a small niche with a treasure chest, which, he found out, contained a map of the cavern. "Great," he breathed, before realizing that he didn't know where to go next, map or no map. There were at least three other doors he could try, but only one other that wasn't so much a door as it was a weak wall. He went there as fast as he could, avoiding the lava pits as he did so, unwilling to decimate his new boots so quickly.

He bombed open this wall as well, but only after finding out what the Beamos could do the hard way—there was now a smoking gash on his left arm. He bit his lip, shrugged off the pain, and continued on, Navi trailing behind him.

The next room contained what Navi said were Baby Dodongos, which Link barely managed to avoid, and the room after that had two Keese, which Link ran past as well before they knew what was happening.

It was in the room after that one when he realized, after hearing the sharp clang of the iron bars barring his exit go down over the door, that there was no way he was going to make it through the cavern just by running past things. He'd have to stand and fight after all.

He heard it instantly. There was some sort of squealing noise, and then from out of nowhere, a giant green lizard thing jumped down to land in front of him, looking rather stupid but angry as well, and brandishing a short sword. "Lizalfos!" Navi shouted, before flying over to it, her bluish aura turning yellow. "Use your shield!"

The Lizalfos struck out at him just as he brought up his Deku Shield. When it retreated, he unsheathed his Kokiri Sword with a yell and jabbed the thing hard in its stomach, sending blue goo flying everywhere. _I'm getting better at this_, he thought absently, vaguely remembering his rather panicked style of fighting from before. Instead of just swinging wildly, he was beginning to get a sense of when he should attack…

It tried slashing at him, but he blocked its sword with his own and sent it careening into the lava that simmered all around. Before he could finish it off, though, it squealed frantically and jumped away.

He smiled. That had almost been too ea—

"There's another one!" Navi yelled, and he turned around in time to receive a light gash on the same arm that the Beamos had got. He grunted in pain and frustration and swung his sword at him, injuring it in its stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the first Lizalfos just standing there, waiting.

An idea came to his mind. He could probably take them both out, but why spend the effort if they could just kill each other off?

Feinting quickly, he ran off toward the first Lizalfos, the second one following, as he had hoped. He jabbed his sword at the first one briefly before running past it, then turned around and watched as the second one began attacking it and vice versa. In a matter of seconds, they were both lying on the ground, dying. "They're none too bright," Link explained to Navi, who wore a look of mild surprise on her small face. "I mean, did you see the way they were trying to attack me? I only got hurt because I was facing the other way! Not to mention their eyesight sucks… they saw green and went for it." He laughed. "Is this the best this place has to offer?" he asked loudly.

Navi frowned at him. "You never change, do you."

"What?"

"You were confident in the tomb, too, and look where that got you."

"This is different!"

She sighed wearily. "Of course it is. Sometimes, the enemies will be as stupid as they look. But someday, something's going to get you like it did in the tomb and maybe you won't be able to escape. And then you'll die. Why? Because you were too cocky and overconfident. I mean, I'm glad you seem to have recovered mentally from the Redead incident, but you shouldn't let that lesson go to waste…"

Link scowled. "All right, all right. I'll be careful. But you have to keep an eye out too! You're my guardian fairy, after all."

"That I am," Navi replied, with a smug smile on her face. She loved it when he had to give in to her…

He went quickly to the bodies of the dead Lizalfos, seeing if there was anything there that was useful. All he found were a few Rupees, but that was good enough. Ignoring Navi's raised eyebrow, he pocketed them and limped to the room's exit. He had been trying to not take heed of his feet's pain up till now—in fact, most of the time he had forgotten about it, which was probably the reason why he kept on doing things that irritated them—but the running around during the Lizalfos battle had been the last straw. There was no way he could walk normally now.

He made his way into the next room, leaning heavily on the walls to lessen the weight. Unlike the other rooms, which had a reddish tint, this one was bluer. It was completely dark save for one torch, which burned brightly in a corner of the room…

"Do you hear those footsteps?" Navi whispered in his ear. Link nodded. They were loud and heavy and pretty hard to miss. "They're made by the Dodongos. I think they're just crawling around the room in a circle… here, go forward a little so you can see them for yourself."

He did so. The Dodongos were large lizards, like the Lizalfos, but they walked on all four feet. They didn't seem to be carrying any weapons…

"They breathe fire," Navi said, as if reading his mind. "But they're pretty dumb and they have bad eyesight, so if you're quick enough at getting to the other side of the room and out the door that the map says is there, they may not even notice you."

Quick? He groaned. "Do I—"

"You could either do that or fight them," Navi said stoutly. "But there are at least three of them in there. And their only weakness is their tail. And they breathe fire."

"You said that already," Link breathed angrily. This dungeon was getting more annoying fast. "Right, well, here I go." He braced himself against the wall, then launched off, heading toward the far side of the room, which he couldn't even see because of the large stalactite things blocking his view. He tried running on his toes, except that didn't help much since they were as injured as the rest of his feet. The pain intensified with every step, but he tried not to think about it.

Finally, he reached the other side of the room, having successfully avoided the Dodongos, and gratefully pushed against the door. It wouldn't move.

He almost blanched as he realized that it was blocked by iron gates.

"Farore!" he swore loudly as a Dodongo turned to face him, which made a huffing sound and then shot fire at him. He brought out his Deku Shield to block, then, belatedly noticing that it was made out of wood, watched as it burned away to ash. "What am I supposed to do?" he asked Navi frantically as he sidestepped the Dodongo's tail, which was trying to lash out at him.

Navi was speechless for a few seconds, then said, "The torches! Link, I think you have to light them up!"

Link looked around quickly. There were three unlit torch racks lined up along the middle of the room and a lit torch at the beginning. Angry that he had missed that, he quickly brought out a Deku Stick, limped as fast as he could to the torch, and lit the three other ones, trying not to be noticeable to the Dodongos.

The iron bars disappeared into the ground with a whooshing sound, and he hurriedly went through the door into the corridor beyond.

The rest of the cavern was simple enough to navigate, he felt. There was a switch in the corridor that opened a door, which he went through, finding himself in a room full of Bomb Flowers. He picked one up and set it in the middle of them all, causing them to explode and create a stairway he could go up. The stairway led to a room with some Keese and what Navi called Armos, and he activated another switch there, which led him into a room with some rather annoying spike mechanisms, then eventually into another lava room with two Lizalfos he had to defeat. He got them to fight each other again, then went through one more room before ending up in the same place where the spike things were, except higher up. From his new vantage point he could see a large treasure chest, so naturally, he opened it.

"Bombs!" he exclaimed, holding the Bomb Bag up. "How awesome is this, Navi? I can blow stuff up now!"

Navi made a small sound that sounded suspiciously like "Boys", then told him to get a move on.

He found himself in the main room again, though this time on the second floor, and looked around curiously. It seemed as if he had went through all the doors there were. But if this was anything like the inside of the Great Deku Tree, then there should be some kind of lead monster he'd have to defeat in order for the other monsters to go away. The map showed a small skull marking in a room he hadn't been to yet, and he could only assume that was the boss. But how was he supposed to get there…?

"There's an inscription here!" Navi said suddenly, floating over to a plaque in front of them. "'Giant dead Dodongo… when it sees red, a new way to go will be open.'"

Link frowned, walked over to a nearby bridge, and looked down at the giant skull he had noticed when first arriving at the cavern. He brought out a piece of bread and chewed on it slowly, then sat down on the bridge to rest his feet. He didn't have anything red, and even if he did, he doubted he could just lower it from where he was and dangle it in front of the dead Dodongo. He'd have to throw it…

Something clicked. Bombs flashed between red and black before blowing up, so if he threw it while it was flashing…

He stood up quickly, his feet protesting in agony, and brought out a bomb from his new Bomb Bag. After a moment's hesitation, he threw it into one of its eyes through a gap in the bridge.

It exploded, leaving the eye the bomb had exploded in glowing a deep red, standing out clearly in the darkness.

He threw another bomb into the other eye, waited as it blew up, then watched the Dodongo's mouth, which had been closed before, slowly open.

He made his way down from the bridge and went through the door that the opened mouth revealed, finding himself in a room with a switch in a hole. The switch unlocked another door, but it wouldn't stay down if his weight weren't on it, so he figured he had to find a block. A few minutes and four dead Keese later, he shoved a block into the hole, watched as the iron gates disappeared into the ground, and went through the door, finding himself in an empty room.

After a few minutes of looking around to make sure nothing was there, he sat down again, tired, and wondered what he should do. The ground in the middle of the room seemed to be rather loose, so maybe there was something beneath that…

_Bombs are the answer to everything_, he thought gleefully, then placed one on the weak spot, jumping into the room it revealed below.

There was a huge lava pit in the middle, but the most noticeable thing was definitely the giant Dodongo that began advancing on him as soon as he turned around. It could only be the boss of the cavern. "King Dodongo," Navi murmured. "Its weak spot is its mouth…"

Link nodded quickly, brought out his sword, then realized that it wasn't going to do anything, since King Dodongo's head was currently reared back, ready to roast him to ashes. He screamed and ran, but his damaged feet wouldn't cooperate, and he only managed a few steps before being forced to hide under his Hylian Shield. Most of the flames were deflected off the shield, but the heat still burned him and the smoke was making him cough violently.

He tried to get up, but was forced to duck down again as the giant Dodongo started to roll around the room, squashing him in the process. "My back!" he groaned weakly, but managed to stand up and face the Dodongo, who had stopped rolling and was turned around to face him. "How am I supposed to get to his mouth?" he hissed at Navi.

"Throw a bomb into it or something, I don't know!" came her annoyed reply.

King Dodongo was coming at him fast. As it opened its mouth to shoot out another burst of fire, Link brought out a bomb, limped over to it, and hurled it into its mouth. The Dodongo froze in surprise, then slumped over as the bomb detonated inside of it. Link, realizing his chance, brought out his sword and slashed at its face until it got up again and rolled around the room, but this time he was prepared. He threw another bomb into its mouth, then repeated. After one more round of this, it finally died, rolling around the room aimlessly until it came to rest in the lava pit, where it froze and went still.

Link suppressed a wild cheer, which wasn't hard, since he was exhausted, although the heart container he picked up made him feel a little better.

His joy faded as suddenly as it had come. He had no illusions as to what was in store for him. There was still one Spiritual Stone left to get, and although navigating the cavern and defeating King Dodongo had proved to be fairly easy—either that, or maybe he was actually getting better at this whole dungeon thing—there were no guarantees that whatever he'd have to go through to get the Spiritual Stone of Water would be as simple. And then there was that deal with opening the Door of Time and entering the Sacred Realm, whatever those where. He had a queasy feeling that he was going to be involved in this for a lot longer time than he thought.

He shook his head. At least he had gotten his second Spiritual Stone now, though, right? At least, he would soon, if Darunia kept his word. That was something.

With Navi following dutifully behind him, he walked into the blue halo and disappeared into the light.


	6. Chapter Five: Fish

A/N: Okay, so this chapter is somewhat unique in a few ways. Well, maybe just one, and that's the fact that I introduced Nabooru in this chapter. Normally I would wait until they were introduced in the game, but then I'd have to wait too long, and I wouldn't really get a chance to work with Nabooru and Ganondorf's relationship. Now, I don't feel as if I did a very good job with the actual introduction, 'cause I barely even described them, but I think that can wait until Link sees them. I dunno, I found it too awkward to talk about their looks while they were talking to each other. Or something. And I'm bad at relationship stuff, so… eh. I hope it didn't turn out too bad.

---

**Chapter Five: Fish**

When the light vanished, he found himself standing at the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern. The sky was pink in color, and dusk was approaching.

His stomach rumbled unexpectedly. He hadn't eaten anything all day except for some bread, and he had barely drunk anything at all. Hoping vaguely that the Gorons had anything to eat other than rocks, he began walking up the trail toward Goron City.

Unexpectedly, though, a large, bulky object landed in front of him, and with a start, he realized it was Darunia. Other Gorons appeared as well. "Well done, lad!" Darunia said, clapping Link on the back, again almost causing him to fall. "Thanks to you, we can once again eat the delicious rocks from the Dodongo's Cavern until our stomachs burst! What a wild adventure! It will make an incredible story…" He paused, seeming to lose himself to his thoughts. "I can't believe that the Dodongos suddenly appeared in such great numbers! And that big rock blocking the cave… All this trouble must have been caused by that Gerudo thief, Ganondorf!" A scowl appeared on his face. "He said, 'Give me the Spiritual Stone! Only then will I open the cave for you!' You, on the other hand, risked your life for us!" He paused again and looked at Link, the scowl vanishing and a smile appearing in its place. "Kid, I like you! How about you and I become Sworn Brothers?"

Sworn Brothers? What were Sworn Brothers? He vaguely remembered Darunia talking about how the King of Hyrule had been his Sworn Brother, but that was it. "I don't have to do anything special, do I?" Link asked.

Darunia laughed. He could move mountains with that laugh. "No, no, of course not! Just take this as a token of our friendship!"

Link hoped it wasn't another cuff on the back and was surprised when Darunia suddenly lifted his hands. A glowing ball of red light appeared between them, which quickly disappeared to reveal a crimson stone, spinning slowly in place. "This is the Goron's Ruby, or as you would have it, the Spiritual Stone of Fire! This is our thanks to you for saving the Gorons!"

The Goron's Ruby slowly floated over to Link, who took it with both hands and carefully stowed it away. Two down, one to go.

"Brother! You'll keep brushing up on your skills as you travel, won't you?" He waited for Link to nod, then continued, "You should see the Great Fairy on top of Death Mountain! She'll power you up! Hey everybody!" At this, the other Gorons that had landed around Link began to stand up ponderously. "Let's see off our Brother!"

The Gorons started to head for Link, saying things along the lines of "Good job, Brother!" and "How about a big Goron hug, Brother?" Link, abruptly realizing what they were about to do, turned around and ran up the trail, screaming his lungs out.

Darunia chuckled good-naturedly and watched him go.

---

Link spent the night at Goron City, sleeping on a bed made out of, what else, rock. It didn't seem to help his aggravated back very much, and his feet weren't faring any better, but he would take what he could get. He had decided that a visit to the Great Fairy, whoever she was, would be a very good idea, and that he'd go the next day, since frankly, a night in Goron City wasn't the most comfortable night there was. His feet were still hurting, and he was walking in a rather curious hunched-over way now, but there was no help for it.

The next morning, he left, provisioned with some fresh water and roasted Tektite, which tasted rather horrible but was the only food he could find that wasn't rock. The sun was well over the horizon when he started up the trail again, but he figured he'd still be able to get there before nightfall, weak feet or not.

The day passed without anything important happening. Occasionally, large boulders—though not as large as the one that had originally blocked Dodongo's Cavern—blocked his way, but he simply threw a bomb at them and walked on. After a while, as he got closer to the volcano the trail was on, it began to rumble, shaking small boulders and the like loose to fall on him, though by hiding under his Hylian Shield, he was able to remain unscathed. From there, he had to scale a cliff with some Skulltulas on it—no easy task, considering the agony his back and feet were still in, though the Skulltulas were easy enough to kill.

Eventually, around late afternoon, he arrived at the top of the mountain, tired and sweaty from the increasing heat. He looked around, wondering where the Great Fairy was, and found Kaepora Gaebora instead.

"You've done well to come all the way up here, Link," the owl said, peering curiously at his hunched-over form. "This is the summit of the sacred Death Mountain! Hoot! It is said that the clouds surrounding this peak reflect the condition of Death Mountain. When they look normal, it is at peace."

Link glanced upward at the sky. He supposed those clouds were normal and wondered vaguely when the time would come that they would not.

After Link was done, the owl continued to speak. "Climbing all the way up here just proves how smart you are! Now I want to see you make another smart move… the Great Fairy lives on this mountaintop, and she will give you a new skill! She is the leader of the fairies, you know. Hoo!" He ruffled his feathers. "I will perch here and wait for you. When you're ready to go back down, I can help you! Now, get going!"

Grateful that Kaepora Gaebora had mentioned nothing about how badly he had scared Link the last time they had met, he quickly went into the tunnel to the owl's right. It opened into what the sign said was Death Mountain Crater. He stood on a high ledge, staring into the heart of the volcano. The heat was making him sweat freely.

"Link!" Navi cried. "It's so hot in here! We can't stay here for long!"

He shook his head at the sound of her voice, startled, then realized she was right. If the Great Fairy was in here, that was her problem. He left quickly and looked around, puzzled. Kaepora Gaebora regarded him silently.

Eventually, Link noticed the odd-looking wall to the left of the owl. He wasn't sure why it looked so strange, but maybe that meant he could bomb it. He smiled wickedly—for some reason, using explosives always made him happy—and planted a bomb there. It blew up to reveal a dark passageway. Link looked quickly at the owl, who continued to say nothing, and went in.

He wasn't sure if he was in a room or something much bigger, because it was completely dark in there save for two torches that burned brightly against the black. As he approached the torches, though, the room abruptly lit up, showing walls that seemed to have some sort of liquid glitter running down them and a large fountain directly in front of him. Beneath his feet, he noticed the Royal Family's symbol—the Triforce—emblazoned in gold.

_The Royal Family_, he thought. _Zelda._ He brought out his Fairy Ocarina and quickly played the notes of Zelda's Lullaby, then found himself recoiling at the explosive laughter that echoed throughout the room.

A tall woman with pink hair burst out of the fountain, naked except for the numerous vines that covered her body. It was clear that she was the source of the laughter. She turned to face him, sitting down in midair, and began to speak.

"Welcome, Link!" Her voice was soothing, and he felt better just by listening to it. "I am the Great Fairy of Power! I'm going to grant you a sword technique. Receive it now!"

It sounded more like a command than anything else, and Link held out his hands uncertainly.

Glittering white dust flew from her outstretched hands to his own, and a circle of yellow light surrounded him. He felt… different somehow. Like when he had gotten the heart container, except better. In addition to that, he could actually feel himself being healed, though that was unrelated to receiving the sword technique. The two gashes on his left arm closed before his eyes, and the pain in his feet and back vanished.

"Hold out your weapon to your side when you want to charge it," the Great Fairy said. "After it charges, it will unleash a wave of energy with your spin! But when you charge it, magic power will be consumed. You will be able to tell if you're running out of magic when your spin attacks become weaker. Pay attention and do not let it run out!" She smiled benignly and gazed at him openly. "You're a messenger of the Royal Family, aren't you?" He nodded. "Then next time you're in their neighborhood, you should drop in on a friend of mine who lives by Hyrule Castle. She'll surely grant you another new power!" She laughed again, said, "When battle has made you weary, please come back to see me," and vanished back into the fountain.

He looked blankly at the fountain for a minute, then turned to leave as well. Kaepora Gaebora was still waiting for him outside. "Well, it looks like you've grown a little from the Great Fairy's power," the owl said. "But you still don't really look like the hero who will save Hyrule. At least not yet!"

Link blanched a little at his words. The hero who would save Hyrule. That _was_ what he was doing, wasn't it? Saving Hyrule? Somehow he had never thought of it that way. He had always thought of it as a little journey to collect the Spiritual Stones. But it was much more than that…

"If you are going back down the mountain, I can lend you a wing," Kaepora Gaebora continued, interrupting Link's thoughts. He began flapping his wings. "Come here and grab my talons! And hold on tight!" As Link took hold, the owl hooted wildly and took off.

The ride wasn't very long, but it was exhilarating while it lasted. Kaepora Gaebora took them down the trail and into Kakariko Village, which, from an aerial view, looked spectacular. After gently placing him next to the tree near the front of the village, he said, "Good luck!" and flew off.

Link walked in circles for a while, dizzy from the flight. Eventually, when he felt stable again, he realized that he was dead tired and went into one of the houses to see if anyone would let him sleep in a bed. It turned out that the house he went to was the same one he had stayed at days earlier, and the woman there was more than happy to see him. She gave him some cake, which tasted much better than the roasted Tektite he'd been eating all that day, then sent him off to bed.

He woke up the next morning in a very good mood. His clothes had been washed again, and the lady had left him a bowl of water and a towel to wash himself with, which he did—the Great Fairy may have healed him, but she certainly hadn't cleaned him. After he was done, he dressed, and with Navi nestled in his hair, went out into the village.

Most of the day was spent wandering around and meeting the people there, since he wanted to relax a bit before going in search of the third Spiritual Stone, not to mention he didn't really know where it was anyway, so he was hoping he'd be able to pick up on something.

He helped a lady named Anju find her Cuccos for her and put them back into their pen, at which point she gave him a bottle he could use—for what, he wasn't really sure yet—and also met the cursed family, the one whose members had all been turned into Skulltulas. Apparently that was the point of the Gold Skulltula pieces, to undo the curse. However, seeing as he hadn't collected very many on his travels, he left quickly before they could do whatever they did; he didn't want to find out. There was also a carpenter whose aim was to make Kakariko Village into a true city, except apparently his workers were all lazy and pretty much worthless. Link even met some of the workers, and it seemed that the carpenter's opinion of them was right. He went into a house up on a hill, which turned out to be Impa's, Zelda's guardian. After a while, he even managed to screw up enough courage to go back into the graveyard, although he didn't bother fooling around with the graves this time, though he wouldn't have been able to anyway, since the gravekeeper, Dampé, who was a rather disfigured-looking man, went nuts every time he went near a tombstone.

The most interesting place besides the graveyard, though, was without a doubt the windmill, which apparently drew up water from the well that was situated in front of it. There was a man standing in there, playing some sort of instrument. When Link came in, the man said, "Go around! Go around and around and around! What fun! I'm so happy!" Link gave him an odd look, but the man didn't seem to have noticed and continued, "I'm a music man who loves to go around and around! Go around and around! I'm trying to come up with a musical theme inspired by this windmill… going around and around and around!"

The man seemed to be rather crazy according to Link's standards, although he did stay around for a few minutes to listen to the other's attempts at making up some sort of tune, which didn't sound so bad. He left after that, then went over to the well and studied it. The sign next to it read, "Dark! Narrow! Scary! Well of Three Features," but the well didn't seem to be any of those three. He even tried diving into it to see if there was anything at the bottom, but he couldn't hold his breath for very long and had to come back up for air quickly.

By then, it was almost dusk, and he decided to go back to the woman's house to stay the night again. She fussed over his wet clothes for a bit, then allowed him to go to what seemed to be 'his' room now and sleep.

He was in bed and about to close his eyes when he realized he still didn't know where to get the last Spiritual Stone. "Navi?" he asked.

The fairy flew out from under his pillow, looking curiously at him. "What?"

"I still don't know where to get the Spiritual Stone."

Navi frowned. "So is this why you spent the day in Kakariko? I thought you were just being lazy…"

Link grinned sheepishly. Navi glanced at him, then rolled her eyes. "I don't know either. And neither do any of the people here. We should have asked the owl when we had the chance." She paused to think. "Maybe Saria knows."

He groaned. He didn't much feel like trekking all the way back to the forest to find out. And then he remembered what Saria had said about her song… "_When you want to hear my voice, play Saria's Song. You can talk with me anytime…_" Guiltily, he remembered his reply. He had told her that he'd play it whenever he could. Well, maybe it wasn't too late now. He sat up in bed, pulled out his ocarina from his pouch, and as softly as he could, so that no one outside could hear, played Saria's Song.

The notes echoed in his head for a while, then faded away. _Link?_ a voice came. Saria!

"Hi," he whispered. Navi glanced inquisitively at him, and he realized she probably couldn't hear Saria's half of the conversation. Oh well.

_Can you hear me?_

"Yeah, just fine."

He heard her giggle. _This is nice, isn't it?_ She paused. _But you didn't play the song just to talk idly. Do you need help?_

Saria, perceptive as usual. Or maybe she really could read minds. He wasn't sure anymore. "A little. I've been collecting Spiritual Stones…"

_You have one more to find, don't you?_

He almost reeled back in surprise. Definitely able to read minds, that one. "Yeah, I've gotten the Kokiri's Emerald and the Goron's Ruby, so I need the last one…"

_You mean the Spiritual Stone of Water, don't you? The Great Deku Tree once told me that King Zora, ruler of Zora's Domain, has it…_

Zora's Domain? He had only a vague idea of where that was, but that'd be enough. "Thanks," he said. He could hear her yawn and realized that he'd probably woken her up. The Kokiri had early bedtimes anyway… "Er, I'll be going now. Thanks again for the help."

He could almost see her smile in reply, and then the connection between their minds was broken.

"So?" Navi demanded impatiently. Link had just leaned back against his bed, grinning. "Where are we going?"

"Zora's Domain," he replied, still feeling good about their admittedly short conversation. Hearing his best friend's voice had a rather uplifting effect on him.

"That means… Link, we're going to see the Zoras!"

"That's right." And with the grin still on his face, he slid into bed and was asleep in minutes.

---

He paced angrily from one side of the room to the other, back and forth, back and forth. She watched him with lidded eyes, silent and apprehensive. He did this far too often now, and frankly, it was beginning to grate on her nerves, despite the feelings she had for him.

"Goddesses!" he raged. "How is this possible?" He glared at her, saw that she wasn't going to say anything, and continued to pace. "How could this—this _boy_—do what I could not? He's gotten two Spiritual Stones already! Gohma and King Dodongo have fallen! He's beaten them! How is that possible, Nabooru?" He walked up to her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her close to him. "Tell me!"

Nabooru sighed and gently removed his hand. "You obviously underestimated him, Ganondorf. Look, why bother with it anymore? If you remove yourself as a threat, he'll stop. You don't need to take over all of Hyrule. I would think ruling over a nation of Gerudo women is enough." She pressed closer to him seductively.

He seemed to soften at her touch, then turned away. "It's not," he rasped. "I'm so close. I can't turn back now. Hyrule is at my fingertips, and…" He glanced at her. "If you would only support me…"

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I've already told you why!"

Ganondorf groaned and began pacing again. She glared at him for a moment, then crossed her arms and sat down.

After a few minutes, he tired of the silence and strode up to her again. "Don't you love me?" he snarled.

"Not when you're like that," Nabooru replied airily. The truth of the matter, though, was that his belligerent nature was what drew her to him. Not to mention he was King of the Gerudos, which was always a bonus. But the problem lay with what he focused his energy on. He wanted to take over Hyrule, and he would do whatever was necessary to achieve that goal. Never mind the fact that he would probably have to kill thousands of helpless innocents. Never mind the fact that he would make thousands more wither under his rule. Never mind anything. He would conquer Hyrule, no matter what the cost. She may be a thief, but at least she was honorable. He wasn't being honorable at all. And if this kept up much longer, she would have to leave him. "Please," she whispered. "Just give it up. Stay with me, here in the desert. Don't go back to the castle."

"I'm too close," he said stubbornly. "Nabooru… once I take control, you… could rule with me. Don't you have any ambition?"

She noticed his word usage and realized that he was absolutely certain Hyrule would be in his hands sooner or later, despite whatever the boy did. She didn't know what to make of it. "More than most people," she replied softly. "But I have my limits."

"Women," he growled.

She smirked. "If you're still set on this, you should be heading back to the castle now, I would think. Meanwhile, I'll stay here and hope that maybe some of what I said today actually went through your head. I care about you, don't I? I know you want power, but… there are other ways of getting it that don't involve a violent takeover." She walked over to him and kissed him passionately.

When the kiss ended, he gave her an odd look. "You don't understand, do you?" he murmured. "Power isn't the only reason I'm doing this…"

She put a finger to his lips. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. You're obviously not going to change your mind today, so just… go."

"We've had this conversation before. I'm not going to change my mind. Ever."

"That's what you say now," she replied shortly. "Go. Come back in a few days and we can talk about the fortress and how to deal with the drought and other things relevant to the Gerudo, because you'll have changed your mind by then. I'll be waiting."

He gave her an incomprehensible look, then turned and left without a word.

She watched him go, then sat back down in her chair. Goddesses, he meant so much to her. And she knew she meant a lot to him. He barely gave the other Gerudos the time of day, though that didn't stop them from worshipping him. They knew of his plans to take over Hyrule and adored him for it. For some reason, they thought him taking over Hyrule would only benefit the Gerudos. But would it, really? He ruled the Gerudos with an iron fist, but did not press harder only because they were his people. She wasn't sure what he would do with the other races, though. Terrorize them. Frighten them. Break them. He would be tyrannical because he knew no other way to rule. His surrogate mothers, the twin sisters Koume and Kotake, had implanted that belief into him.

Would her love for him overrule the principles he had grown up with? She found that she wasn't sure anymore. Maybe he really would continue with his plan to conquer Hyrule, despite her earlier convictions that he would not.

If she wanted to stop him from doing this, she would have to do so quickly, because she felt that her chances were running out. Sooner rather than later, it would be too late, and she'd have to watch on helplessly as he destroyed their world.

She stared out into the desert and wondered what it would take to prevent that from happening.

---

Link left the village a few hours after dawn the next day, carrying with him everything he had held before in addition to a good deal of food the lady had wrapped up for him and left on the table next to his bed. He had left some more Rupees at her house and was gone before she woke up, which was for the better because he wasn't very good at the whole saying goodbye thing.

With Navi floating around his head happily, he set out at a brisk pace and was able to reach the entrance to Zora's River by noon. To his surprise—though he really shouldn't be surprised at this sort of thing anymore, he thought ruefully—Kaepora Gaebora was perched on a tree, eyeing him. He hooted cheerfully once Link came closer. "Looks like you've gotten bigger and stronger already, Link!" A wing lifted and pointed upstream. "Just ahead lies Zora's Domain. The Zoras serve Hyrule's Royal Family by protecting this water source. Their door will not open for anyone except those who have some connection with the Royal Family. Let them hear their melody!" Without waiting for a response from Link, he hooted and flew away.

Link shook his head once the owl was gone. That bird was definitely strange.

He continued up the river and reached the entrance to the domain, which was covered by a waterfall, an hour later. Remembering what Kaepora Gaebora had said about the door not opening for anyone unless those who had a connection, he brought out his ocarina—_without_ any help from Navi—and played Zelda's Lullaby. The waterfall parted, leaving an opening he could jump into, which he did.

The first thing he saw once he entered was a lot of water. It was everywhere. There was a large pool of it below the rock ledge where he stood, and a waterfall cascaded down from the far side of the cavern.

He glanced around quickly and saw a set of steps leading up, which led to a large room where a rather voluminous blueish thing with a red robe sat. Link stared at him for a few minutes, then realized that this must be the King of the Zoras. He walked onto a platform where he could be somewhat level with the king, then bowed and said, "My, uh, King Zora…"

"What are you saying?" Navi hissed in his ear. "Don't you know how to talk to royalty?"

"No," Link whispered, trying to look at her while still keeping an eye on King Zora.

It didn't matter, though, since King Zora didn't seem to be paying attention to Link, who realized he was mumbling something. He inched closer and could hear the other's words: "Oh, my dear, sweet Princess Ruto… where has she gone? I'm so worried…"

Link stepped off the platform, realizing that he probably wouldn't be paying attention to anyone until Princess Ruto, who seemed to be the king's daughter, was found. He wandered into the tunnel to the left of King Zora's throne, following the flow of the water, and found himself standing at the top of the waterfall. A Zora was standing there, watching him. Link noticed that he was of a much lighter build than the King.

"Want to play a diving game?" the Zora asked casually. "It's twenty Rupees."

Link paused to consider. What harm could come from playing a game? Of course, he could hear Navi, who was under his hat, mumbling about how he should be getting the Stone instead of playing games, but he ignored her. "Sure," he said.

"Okay!" the Zora said enthusiastically once Link had handed over the Rupees. "Pick up all the Rupees I throw from here. You have only a limited amount of time! When you pick them all up, come back here! I'll give you something very nice!" He threw five blue Rupees into the pool beneath the waterfall, then said, "Start!"

Without hesitating, Link dove off the waterfall, Navi still yelling at him, and quickly proceeded to collect the five Rupees. He was finished in a matter of seconds and could hear the Zora shout down to him, "Hey! Congratulations! I've got something very nice for you! Come and get it!" Link quickly swam back to land, up the stairs that led to the throne room, and down the tunnel where the Zora waited. "What a graceful dive!" the Zora said, beaming at him. "Now, please take this! This is a "scale" of our kind. With this, you can dive much deeper under the water!" He handed Link a clear blue ball with some kind of silver triangle spinning around in the middle of it.

"Thanks," Link said brightly, and dove off the waterfall again to test it out. True to the Zora's words, he really could go deeper now. "See?" he said to Navi. "I knew playing the game would be a good thing."

"You didn't know anything," Navi replied moodily, floating over his head and trying to shake the water from her wings.

He grinned at her, then decided to swim over to the other Zoras and ask them about the whereabouts of Ruto. Most of their answers had to do with their worry for the princess and how they had searched as far as Lake Hylia, which he knew to be far away from Zora's Domain. Some of their answers didn't even have anything to do with the princess at all and were about how the water supply in Hyrule came from Zora's Fountain, which apparently he couldn't get to without permission from the king. One of the Zoras told him about Lord Jabu-Jabu, who seemed to be the patron deity of the Zoras, and how the princess was in charge of preparing his meals, which was usually fish.

He had talked to all of the Zoras without learning anything terribly important when he noticed the small opening under the pool. Thinking that maybe it led to another room where more Zoras were, he dove down into it and was surprised to find himself in a large lake.

"Lake Hylia," Navi murmured. "It must have been another portal…"

He glanced around. The lake was filled with clear, crystalline water and spread almost as far as the eye could see. Behind him was the portal he had come from and a beautiful expanse of land filled with flowers and butterflies. There was a bridge that led from the stretch of land to a small island with a lone tree growing on it.

A Zora surfaced next to him, causing him to start. "Have you seen anything strange in this lake?" the Zora asked coolly, as if nothing had happened. "The river carries many things into this lake!" He dove underwater again and was lost from sight.

Well, now that he was here, maybe he _should_ try looking for something. It wasn't as if he was going to find any clue to Princess Ruto's whereabouts anytime soon…

Something glinted in the sun, and he turned to look at it. He could see some sort of glass object resting at the bottom of the lake. It didn't look particularly interesting, but still…

With a brief glance at Navi, he dove down and retrieved it, then resurfaced with the object in his hands. It was a bottle with something inside it. He pulled the cork off and emptied the contents into his hand, which turned out to be a letter. He read it out loud to Navi.

"'Help me. I'm waiting for you inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly.'" He looked at the signature, exclaimed, "This is from Ruto!" and continued, "'P.S. Don't tell my father…'" He looked at Navi. "So she's in Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly somehow… but we don't have permission to go in there… though I suppose he'll send some other Zoras to go once he finds out where she is. And maybe he'll give us the Spiritual Stone of Water because he'll be so grateful to us!"

Navi snorted. "You know it's not going to be that easy."

Link made a face at her. "I can wish." He stuffed the letter back into the bottle, went back through the portal, and up to King Zora's throne, dripping water behind him as he went. The king was still mumbling anxiously about his daughter. "Er, excuse me," he said.

"He's a king, you know," Navi whispered into his ear.

"My lord," he amended quickly. "Shut up," he shot at Navi, who was now laughing at him.

King Zora continued to take no heed. Link stood there for a few minutes more, hoping that eventually the king would actually notice that there was a person here waiting to talk to him, then lost all his patience and shouted, "HEY!"

Navi made some sort of anxious squealing sound as King Zora's head jerked upward. "Hmm?" he said slowly.

Quickly, before Link lost the other's attention, he brought out the bottle with the note and handed it to the king. The king slowly removed the letter and began mumbling some more. "This letter is from Princess Ruto!" he exclaimed after a while. "Hmm… let's see… she's inside Lord Jabu-Jabu? That's not possible! Our guardian god, Lord Jabu-Jabu, would never eat my dear Princess Ruto! But since that stranger, Ganondorf, came here, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been a little green around the gills…"

Link started. Ganondorf had already come here, too? "He didn't ask about a Spirit—"

King Zora brushed away his words and continued, "The evidence seems clear. Of course, you'll go find Ruto. You can pass through here to the altar of Lord Jabu-Jabu. I'll keep this letter. You keep the bottle it was in. Take it respectfully!" He handed the empty bottle back to Link. "Please find my dear Princess Ruto… Zora!"

Link sighed inwardly as King Zora ponderously moved his body to the side of the throne, revealing a tunnel that led, presumably, to Zora's Fountain and Lord Jabu-Jabu. He wondered what it'd be like going into a large… whatever Jabu-Jabu was. But how bad could it be? Sure, he'd be inside something alive, but at least there wouldn't be any monsters there, since surely they wouldn't be able to survive in that sort of environment…

He blanched a little. What if Princess Ruto had been digested or something? What if he went in there and ended up becoming food, too? But the king seemed to think it was safe enough, so… there was no help for it.

King Zora was finally done moving himself, so Link, smiling half-heartedly at him, went past the Zora and down the tunnel that would lead to his next quest.

---

"Time draws short, Princess," Impa said softly to the girl, who was sitting in her room, trying to figure out what to do. "Ganondorf will attack soon. We must leave before that happens…"

"And let him know early on that we suspected him all along? I can't, Impa," Zelda replied, sighing. "Besides… I have to wait for Link. I'm sure he'll try to come back here once he gets all three Spiritual Stones. If I'm gone, he won't know what to do." She put her face in her hands. "Why didn't I give him the Ocarina of Time when he came? If I don't see him again, there'll be no link between us, and Hyrule will fall."

Impa patted her back gently. "Hindsight always comes too late, Princess. It's not worth dwelling on." She paused, then continued, "The boy will come soon, though. The Gorons have given him their Ruby. He needs only to win over the Zoras. We must hope that this will happen before Ganondorf attacks…"

"It has to," Zelda whispered.

The last of the Sheikah cradled the Princess in her arms and did not answer.

---

Link followed the tunnel until it ended at a vast lake, though it was nowhere near as big as Lake Hylia. A sign next to him proclaimed that this was the Zora's Fountain.

At the center of the fountain sat a large fish-like creature breathing raggedly, creating ripples in the water whenever it exhaled. "What is that?" Link asked disgustedly.

"Lord Jabu-Jabu," Navi replied with a nervous look on her face.

"I'll have to go in _that_?" he said in horror, and Navi nodded. "Great," he mumbled, and walked up to it. It didn't move. He poked at it with the hilt of his sword, but it didn't seem to notice, not even when he poked at it again with the pointy end. "Well, I guess I can't go in," he said cheerfully, and began to walk off.

Navi banged up against the side of his head. "Is our ickle Linky-poo too frightened to go into the scary fish?" she said condescendingly.

Link glared at her. "No. I obviously _can't_ go in, in case you didn't notice."

She rolled her eyes. "You do realize that by wimping out, you're not only disappointing the entire Zora race, but Zelda as well? You know King Zora's not going to give you anything if you come back empty-handed."

He grimaced at the mention of Zelda. What would she say when she found out he had given up? Nothing, he decided quickly, because he wouldn't give up. "I really hate you, Navi," he said.

"Just doing my job," she replied happily.

Link sighed and kicked at the water he was standing in. His boots were probably ruined again; running around in ankle-deep water for extended periods of time probably wasn't good for the material. "Okay, well, if me cutting up his face isn't going to get him to open his mouth, what am I supposed to do?"

"It's a giant fish. You feed it, of course."

"With?"

"Smaller fish. Didn't you pay attention to what the Zoras were telling you?"

"Well…"

"Don't answer that. Come on, there was a school of fish near the shallows." She dove under his hat again, and together they went back into Zora's Domain, found the school of fish, and caught one, after several tries, with Link's bottle. They then went back to Jabu-Jabu, and Link, unsure of what to do, slowly emptied the fish onto the platform in front of it.

For a moment, nothing happened, and then Lord Jabu-Jabu opened his mouth wide and began to inhale deeply. The fish flopped for a second or so, then flew into it. Link, realizing that he was going to be sucked in too, shouted wildly and tried to run but was ultimately pulled into the other's gaping mouth, yelling all the way.

---

A/N: Bad ending, I know. Wasn't really sure how to write that out. Anyway, I suppose that Link's going to get his hands on the Master Sword either in the next or the next next chapter, depending on how much I allow Link to dawdle around. And… just so you know, I'm planning on making the adult chapters more detailed and deep and stuff, so don't think the temples are going to fly by there like they have been here. I have plans for them. Sorta. Heh. Oh yeah, Ganondorf doesn't actually know about Link specifically nor what he looks like; he just knows some kid's been getting the Stones. Mmm. Wow, what a useless author's note, right? Okay, I'll stop now. Read and review and make a poor girl happy?


	7. Chapter Six: The Center of the Universe

A/N: Well, Jabu-Jabu's belly turned out to be _much_ longer than I expected it to be, so I decided to divide it into two parts. Dunno when I'll get around to updating the second half, but here's the first half. Just so you know, I've taken quite a few liberties with this dungeon, since I always thought that even though Ganondorf possessed great magic and stuff, well, he probably didn't have enough magic and power to install switches and whatnot in a giant fish, so… yeah. I probably won't be deviating a lot from the game version of the temples, though, so Jabu-Jabu's going to be an exception. Yeeeah.

And I know this chapter's kinda short, but I wanted to end it at an interesting part. The second half will be longer, or so I think…

---

**Chapter Six: The Center of the Universe**

The ground beneath him was squishy yet comforting, and Link lay there for a while before bringing up his hands and realizing they were covered in some sort of thick clear goo, which made him get up quickly with a shudder of disgust.

"So…" Navi said. "I guess we're actually inside it now."

Link glanced around. Behind him were two rows of teeth, clamped shut and barring all exit. He'd have to find some other way out once he found Ruto, a way that hopefully wouldn't involve anything that smelled bad.

Not that _here_ actually smelled good, though. There was some sort of fetid odor in the air, smelling like rot and other things he didn't care to identify. At least it wasn't dark, though—the "walls" were a bright pink in color and gave off a strange light, enough for him to comfortably maneuver around in.

He suppressed a gag and turned to Navi. "Well… Princess Ruto can't be that far in here, can she?" he asked nervously.

"I don't know… Lord Jabu-Jabu is pretty big…" Link could tell she didn't like this at all. At least in the Great Deku Tree and Dodongo's Cavern, there was an exit they could leave from whenever they wanted to. Not that they ever had, but still, the option was nice. And now they were trapped in here in the most disgusting place yet.

He wiped the goo onto his tunic, then glanced ahead. Jabu-Jabu's mouth ended at a tunnel whose entrance was blocked by vines, of all things. In the middle of its mouth was a knee-high pool of the thick goo, where Octoroks swam around, trying to hit him with their ammunition. There was _definitely_ something going on with this fish, and he was absolutely certain that it was because of Ganondorf.

After a moment's consideration, he ran past the Octoroks and up to the vines that were blocking his passage and slashed at them with his sword. They fell away, and Link was about to go past it when he heard Lord Jabu-Jabu inhale deeply again.

"Navi!" he shouted, trying to find a grip on the slimy walls. It didn't matter that the air was pushing him in the direction he wanted to go into; he'd much rather walk there himself without chancing a fall.

"He's breathing too deeply! I can't fight it, Link!" Navi shouted back, and then the wind caught her and blew her deeper into the fish.

_No!_ Link thought in horror as he watched her being whisked away, then, without a moment's hesitation, loosened his tenacious grip on the wall and followed after her.

When Jabu-Jabu was done inhaling, Link found himself embedded facedown into the "floor". _Gross_, he thought disgustedly, and quickly pushed himself up, trying to brush the goo off but failing. "Navi?" he called out tentatively.

There was no answer. He looked around the room he was in and realized it was some sort of elongated tunnel—the esophagus. Jellyfish floated everywhere, and he had to duck hurriedly under his shield to avoid one of them. To his left was some sort of greenish tentacle that pulsated slowly, emitting a strange sound as it did so. On the "floor" were several circular things that, it seemed, could suck you in if you weren't careful. And to his right, standing next to one of the circular things, was…

"You! Who are you!" The voice was high-pitched and bossy sounding.

He walked over to the other and was about to introduce himself, but didn't have a chance.

"I am Ruto, Princess of the Zoras!" she continued without pause, then straightened importantly and glared at him.

"I'm Link," he said quickly, before she could say anything more, then looked at her coolly. He suddenly noticed something on the corner of her head. "Navi!" he cried out, and picked her up, cradling her in his hands.

Ruto looked disgusted. "How did _that_ get onto my head?"

He ignored her. "You okay, Navi?"

The fairy stirred, then groaned lightly. "Uhh… fine… the wind blew me right onto her…" She flapped her wings and hovered a little over his hand. "I'm okay now; I blacked out for a bit but I'm fine…"

He frowned at her, but remained silent, then turned his attention once more to the princess, who was glaring impatiently at him. She wasn't very tall, a little shorter than him maybe, but she held herself in a way that suggested that she was the center of the world. Dear, sweet Princess Ruto? No way. He had known her for maybe five seconds, and already he was beginning to dislike her immensely. Well, maybe she'd soften up once she realized he had come in here to save her. He tucked Navi under his hat, then said, "Your father found out you were in here and asked that I come to retrieve you."

"What? I'd never ask anyone to do such a thing!"

"Well, _Princess_," he said, trying to put as much sarcasm into his voice as possible, "I found your letter in a bottle."

Ruto glared at him some more. "'Letter in a bottle'? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

So either she was immensely proud and would never admit to asking for help, or she suffered from a severe case of amnesia. He decided it was most likely the former. How was he going to get her to cooperate if she refused to let him help? "Your father is worried—"

"I don't care!"

"Will you just let me finish—"

"No!"

"But I'm supposed to take you—"

"_No!_"

Both of them huffed in unison and crossed their arms. After a few moments, Ruto finally spoke.

"I can't go home right now. And you… get out of here! Understand?"

"Fine, Miss Center-of-the-Universe," he replied, holding up his hands submissively and smirking at her.

She gasped at his audacity, then huffed angrily, turned around, and walked straight into the circular thing, which turned out to be some sort of a hole. He could hear her screaming "Oh no!" as she fell.

Link looked at Navi, who had flown back out and was watching him with an amused look on her face. "Ruto's not worth saving," he groaned.

"You know you have to go after her."

With a sigh, he tucked Navi back into his hat and dropped down the hole.

---

Ruto glanced around at the electrified jellyfish floating about and wondered how she was ever going to make her way out of here. She wasn't sure where she was anymore; she was used to following Lord Jabu-Jabu's digestive tract, but now that she had dropped down that hole in his esophagus she had a feeling she was somewhere else entirely. And what were holes doing here, anyway? There hadn't been any until that Gerudo had come…

_This is the boy's fault!_ she thought angrily, then cast about, looking for something to vent her anger on. And almost as if sent by the Goddesses, the boy dropped down right next to her. "Are you still hanging around here?" she shouted at him before he even had a chance to get up. "I told you to go away!"

"I have to get you out of here," the boy—what was his name, Link?—said stubbornly.

Rescuing her must be really important to him, if he had bothered following her down here. But she didn't need rescuing, least of all from a little kid like this. How was she going to make him go away? "I'm okay. I've been going inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly since I was little."

Link raised an eyebrow at her. She frowned at him.

"Well, I'll admit Lord Jabu-Jabu is very strange today… there are electrified jellyfish and strange holes around… on top of that, my precious stone was… but… that's none of your business!" She had revealed more to him than she had meant to, and now she was even more annoyed at the boy because of it.

His eyes seemed to widen at the mention of her stone. Well, what did she care? It was her stone. She wasn't going to tell him more about it.

"You have a precious stone?" he asked slowly.

"Yes," she snapped. When he continued to look at her without saying anything, she lost her patience and blurted out, "Go home now! Understand?"

"Look, I'm probably as determined to get you out of here as you are to stay here," Link said. "So that's exactly what I'm going to do."

She almost smiled. She must really matter to him! Of course, she mattered to everyone, so why should this kid be any exception? "You're that worried about me?" she asked sweetly. Now that she knew that he thought she was more important than himself, she was more disposed to be nice.

He nodded, though it was rather half-hearted.

The boy certainly needed new manners. But still, he had nodded. He deserved something. "Then I will give you the honor of carrying me!"

There was a stricken look on his face for a split second before it was erased and a carefully neutral expression took its place. He nodded again.

"Don't you dare to even _think_ of just hauling me out of here, though," she warned. "I won't leave until I find the thing I'm looking for. You'd better believe me!"

"I do," he said tightly, and she grinned as she sat down. She gave him an expectant look.

Link made a face at her, then picked her up, held her over his head, and began to walk.

---

Link grimaced when she sat down right in front of him, waiting for him to pick her up. He couldn't believe this! He had to carry this Zora, of all things! What kind of stuck-up royalty was she? If Zelda was here, he was sure she'd never expect him to do what he was going to do now. No, she'd walk with him. As equals. Instead, here he was, a slave to this bossy brat. _King Zora had _better _give me the Spiritual Stone once I get out of here_, he thought darkly, and picked her up.

She actually wasn't very heavy, surely no heavier than the pack he carried on his back. Still, though, this strain was rather unnecessary. It wasn't fair. He had never expected to be carrying around Zora Princesses in an overgrown fish when he agreed to find the Spiritual Stones for Zelda! Why was this happening to him?

And on and on his thoughts went, before he realized he was just standing there with Ruto held over his head, and, after a moment's consideration, began to walk.

The ground beneath him was red and striated and pulsated with every step he took. "I think we're walking on his muscle," he said, in a lame attempt to make conversation. Though really, he shouldn't be bothering at all. She didn't deserve to be talked to. But since King Zora seemed to be rather fond of her, he figured that he should make at least some attempt at being civil…

"Why should I care?"

Link sighed. So much for that. He tried a different tack. "So what are we looking for?"

He could almost see Ruto's face contorting angrily. "I'm not going to tell you!"

"But then how—"

"I know what it is! I'll recognize it when I see it!"

"Do you have any idea where it is, at least?"

Ruto sniffed. "He swallowed it, but it might have gone down a hole. Sooo… it could be anywhere."

"That's reassuring," Navi whispered into Link's ear, and he tried not to laugh.

"What's that glowing thing you're talking to?" Ruto shouted.

"A fairy."

"Why do you have a fairy?"

"I come from the forest."

"So you're a Kokiri?"

Link sighed wearily. "Yes."

She paused, and Link was grateful for the respite. But then—

"Well, why should I care if you're a Kokiri?"

He rolled his eyes and didn't bother answering. After a while, he finally said, "So where are we going?"

He could feel her tense. "Don't you know? You're the one carrying me!"

"Well, I thought that maybe—"

"I've never been down here before!" she shrieked, and for the first time Link noticed that she might actually be scared. He began feeling a little bad for her. Not much, just a little.

He slowed as he reached another hole-in-the-ground. "I'm going in," he said, and heard her make a humphing sound in reply. Shrugging, he jumped in, still holding the princess over his head.

They landed in some sort of tunnel whose walls were red and whose floor was covered with some sort of crimson liquid that looked like blood. He gave a start and nearly dropped Ruto when he realized that it _was_ blood.

Ruto screamed when she noticed where they were. "Boy! Why are we down here?"

Link grunted something in reply and began walking down the tunnel, realizing that they were in one of Jabu-Jabu's veins. After a few minutes of this, the vein branched into three smaller ones.

He considered his options. Continuing straight down the vein wouldn't work, as it was blocked by one of those strange tentacles like the one he had seen earlier in the esophagus, except it was brown instead of green. That left going either left or right.

The choice was made for him when suddenly, three worm-like things with pincers on their heads burst out of the ground, heading right for him. "Tailpasaran!" Navi shouted. "Get away from them, before they electrocute you!" Ruto squealed anxiously, and Link ran blindly down one of the tunnels, which turned out to be the one to his right.

He slowed down. The Tailpasaran had settled back into the ground, but now the vein branched again, leaving him with two choices as to which way to go. To his left was a reddish tentacle, so he decided to go right.

There was another set of vine-like things—though thinking about it, he wasn't sure anymore about if they really were vines—so Link quickly put Ruto down, making her squeal in protest, and slashed an opening through them with his sword. He picked Ruto up again and went through.

The vein seemed to end here. He, Ruto, and Navi seemed to be the only ones in the room, but Link had an uneasy feeling that there was something hiding underneath the blood…

He shouted out as pain suddenly bloomed within his leg, dropping Ruto in shock. The oddly fluorescent walls showed something—no, some_things_ gliding out of the blood to float in the air around them. "Stingers," Navi said softly. "Try hitting them with your slingshot, Link…"

After a second of fumbling around in his pack, trying to ignore the pain in his leg, he found his slingshot and began hurling Deku Seeds at them, squinting as they died in a flash of brilliant white light. Once they were all gone, he looked around guardedly, trying to figure out what the Stingers had been protecting, for surely they had been protecting _something_.

"Look, Link," Ruto said suddenly. Her voice seemed very far away from some reason. He turned to look where her small finger was pointed. There was something floating in the ground… He stumbled over to it, feeling a wave of nausea and dizziness pass over him, and managed to pick up the object. "A boomerang," he said slowly. It was a finely crafted piece of wood; he could see that even through its coating of blood. A red jewel was embedded into the middle.

A bluish light floated up to him. "Link, are you all right?" the light asked. Navi.

Link peered at her confusedly. He felt tired and realized he hadn't slept for a while. How long had he been wandering around in Jabu-Jabu, anyway? He had gone in during the late afternoon, but he knew he had been in here for a few hours, at the very least…

With the boomerang still gripped in his hand, he turned to look at Ruto, who was standing up and looking at him oddly. Her blue skin was smeared with Jabu-Jabu's blood. "Link?" she said.

Her voice was the last thing he heard before he collapsed facedown into the blood and the world turned dark around him.


	8. Chapter Seven: TellTale Heart

A/N: Ha, told you the second part would be longer, didn't I? Anyway, yeah. Chapter title comes from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"; for some reason that came to mind while I was trying to think one up. I suppose one could say it's named because Jabu-Jabu's heart ends up having the big baddie in it… or something. I'm pleased to say that the boss battle is longer than the previous boss battles. I mean, it's still not that long, but it's a little more detailed now. Whether or not that's a good thing, I have no idea, but hey.

This is going to be the last chapter for probably a very long while. School starts for me soon, and I probably will not have time to work on this. Of course… reviews might motivate me more? (Insert excessive winking here.) Thanks so much to those who have already reviewed… right, I'll shut up now so you can 'read'. I hope.

---

**Chapter Seven: Tell-Tale Heart**

Ruto gasped as she watched the boy fall slowly, languidly into the pool of blood, then stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do. "You, fairy," she said finally. The fairy turned to look at her, looking both worried and annoyed at once. She wondered why that would be. "Is he… dead?"

The fairy looked at the boy, then at her. "No," she replied slowly. "But there's something wrong with him. It looks as if he's collapsed from exhaustion…" The fairy glared at her for some reason, then continued to speak. "He spent most of the day running around and diving off waterfalls. And then he had to carry _you_ around…"

"Are you blaming _me_ for this?" Ruto exclaimed.

"Maybe," the fairy said moodily. "But I think the Stinger must have done something to him when it got him… come over here and pick him up; I can't do it."

Ruto frowned, then reluctantly walked over and put his arm around her neck. Goddesses, he was heavy. The boomerang was threatening to drop from his loose grip, so she took it and placed it into his pack. "Where are we supposed to go now?"

The fairy glanced around uncertainly. "Back to where the vein branches off in three directions. We'll go left this time."

The Zora nodded, then began dragging Link down the vein. The Tailpasaran came out of the ground again when she reached the fork, but she avoided them nimbly and continued on, the fairy floating around her head all the while.

The vein ended at another of those vine-like things, blocking her from going any further. The fairy glared at her meaningfully, and she deposited Link onto the floor, unsheathed his sword, and hacked at them until there was a big enough opening for them to fit into. "You know, it's not my fault that he's like this," Ruto said, annoyed, as she dragged Link through it.

"He's trying to save you!" the fairy replied in an exasperated voice.

"Well, what a fine savior he is, if I'm the one that has to lug him around now!" She dropped him onto the ground. "I don't know why I'm still bothering with you! I should just walk away and be done with it!"

The fairy threw herself across Ruto's face, leaving a light red mark where she had struck. "Shut up!" she snapped. "He came in here to get you out of here, all right? Would it kill you to show some decency to him?"

Ruto reddened and mumbled something under her breath when she saw Link stir…

---

Images were dancing around in front of his eyes, confusing him and adding to his dizziness. "What's happening?" he mumbled groggily.

Navi was by his side at once. "_Ruto_—" and here she shot a venomous glance at the Zora for some reason—"took you down the left branch of the vein after you blacked out…"

"I blacked out?"

"After you got the boomerang. The Stinger must have sent you into shock or something."

Oh. He remembered now. "So… where are we again?"

"In another vein ending, but we haven't had a chance to look around yet because the _princess_ was so busy _complaining_—"

Ruto made some sort of angry noise, turned away, and promptly gave a little gasp of—what? Surprise? Horror?

Link slowly pushed himself up. His clothes were drenched in Jabu-Jabu's blood now, and he wasn't sure if he minded that more than the clear goo that had been in the fish's mouth. He turned to follow Ruto's gaze and found himself facing a red tentacle.

He knew instinctively that he had to destroy it. It looked harmless enough—it was just hanging from the ceiling, not doing anything—but surely something like this was dangerous. He quickly loaded his slingshot and hurled his Deku Seeds at it, but they bounched off the tentacle harmlessly. Something stronger was needed…

Abruptly, he remembered the boomerang he had picked up after killing the Stingers. He found it in his pouch, wondered vaguely how it got there, and brought it out. With a quick glance at Navi, he hurled it at the tentacle, which shuddered but otherwise did nothing.

He inched a few steps closer to it, trying to figure out its weakness, when suddenly, it started whooshing around, trying to hit him. "Don't let it get you!" Navi shouted. She flew over to the top of the tentacle, where it was connected to the ceiling and looked a little thinner, and yelled, "I think this is its weak spot!"

Dodging quickly to avoid it, he ran a little to his left and hurled the boomerang at the thin part of it, grinning in satisfaction as it visibly flinched. But then it righted itself and came swinging down at him again; he sidestepped it and threw the boomerang at it a third time. He repeated this two more times, very narrowly avoiding getting hit during one go-around, when finally it fell from the ceiling and dissolved into the blood.

He groaned in disgust and put his head into his hand to steady himself as he watched it vanish, still feeling a little dizzy. "You did it, Link!" he heard Navi say. "Since you destroyed it, maybe the passage that was previously blocked by it will be clear now! Let's go!"

A little while later, they stood inside another vein ending, looking at a brown tentacle. Ruto was standing next to him, and he regarded her curiously before turning his attention back to the tentacle. After he had defeated the red one, he had walked over to her and was going to pick her up again, but then a guilty look had passed across her face and she told him that who did he think she was, she could walk just fine by herself, and left it at that.

He destroyed the brown tentacle quickly, even though dizziness still racked his head—it was easy enough, once you got used to how it moved and knew how to avoid it—then, with Navi and Ruto in tow, went down the middle vein that the brown thing had previously occupied. There was a green tentacle there, along with a handful of the electrical jellyfish Navi called Biri. He killed the Biri first, wincing a little as they popped out of existence, then focused his attention on the tentacle, destroying it quickly.

After it died, Navi suggested that they go back into the vein they had first landed in, and Link was quick to comply. He had killed all of the tentacles, so now what? With Ruto walking beside him—she would rather gag herself than walk in the shadow of someone who wasn't in a Zora, she said—they continued down the vein that they had fallen into a few hours earlier, this time going in the other direction.

As they walked, they noticed a sort of rhythmic pumping sound getting louder and louder. "The heart," Ruto whispered anxiously.

About half-an-hour later, they arrived at it. The vein had ended at some sort of valve, which pulsated strongly. The thumping was almost unbearably loud. "Any idea of how to get in here?" Link shouted.

Ruto wrung her hands distractedly. "I don't think so, not without hurting Lord Jabu-Jabu…"

"I think he's already hurt enough. All right, when the valve opens, one of us will go in, and then the other one will follow once it closes and opens. It's moving around too much for the both of us to go in at once…"

"But what if we get caught in it?" A worried look flashed across Ruto's face. "We'll be crushed…"

Link shook his head. "It's a chance we'll have to take. There's nowhere else for us to go. Here, Navi will stay with you while I pass through first. I'll look around and tell you if it's safe. If it's _not_ safe, then…" He paused. "Well, run, I guess."

The Zora looked uncertainly at him, and he tried to hide a smile. Was she actually _worried_ for him? That seemed almost too much to hope for…

"I'm going in," he said quickly, then, when the valve opened again, dashed through it. He could feel the wind generated by the valve's movements.

The blood was deeper here, he noticed; it was almost waist-high. Not good if anything was hiding beneath it. But he was fairly sure that he was the only living being in here; the blood rippled with the movement of Jabu-Jabu's heart and looked perfectly normal. The walls of the heart still glowed faintly, and in the dim light he could see nothing that threatened.

He turned around to face the valve and watched it open, revealing Ruto and Navi for a brief second, then close again. "You can come in," he shouted.

They did, a few seconds later. "I don't like this," Ruto said immediately after she had crossed over.

Well, that was her problem. It wasn't as if they had much of a choice. "Let's go into another chamber," he said quickly, and walked forward.

The next room was smaller than the last. The walls were crisscrossed with small veins that he could probably climb up to reach the chamber above them. Not that any of that mattered, because in the middle of the room was…

Ruto gave an excited squeal and ran over to it, crying out, "That's it! That's what I've been looking for!"

The Spiritual Stone of Water swam before Link's eyes as the princess picked it up. It was formed of three sapphires connected by an intricate gold design and glowed a light blue. He couldn't believe it. _Ruto_ was the owner of the Spiritual Stone all this time?

"Your mouth is hanging open, Link," Navi mumbled into his ear, and he shut it quickly.

Meanwhile, Ruto was still squealing happily. "Oh my goodness! I finally found my mother's stone… I got very upset when Lord Jabu-Jabu swallowed it… while I was feeding him, he suddenly swallowed _me_! I was so surprised I dropped it inside…"

Link shifted uncomfortably. The Spiritual Stone of Water had been Ruto's mother's heirloom? How was he ever going to get it from her, then? She'd probably never part with it. Unbelievable, how this whole mission had turned out to be a complete waste of time. He was no better off than he had been before. Ruto would never give the stone to him.

The Zora, holding the Spiritual Stone—which, surprisingly, was free of blood—turned to him, a grin splitting her face. "Now that I've found it, I don't need to be in here anymore! So, take me home, right now!"

He sighed. Well, if anything, at least he could leave this disgusting place now. He started to walk toward her when suddenly, something very large dropped down right in front of him, blocking Ruto from view. "What is this? An octopus?" he heard her scream.

A giant tentacle crashed down next to him, and he jumped away quickly. Great. How did he know there was going to be a huge Octorok wandering around in Jabu-Jabu's heart? Now he'd have to kill it…

"There's no way you can get close enough to hit it if it's moving," Navi said hurriedly. "And the tentacles are going too fast, so I don't think you'll be able to hit them, either… you'll have to stun it!"

Link nodded, backed away as another tentacle tried to hit him again, and brought out the first weapon his hand came into contact with. His boomerang. "Light the way, Navi," he whispered tightly, and hurled the boomerang at the giant Octorok as she did.

He caught it completely by surprise. It had been facing Ruto, trying to scare her or something, and hadn't realized that Link was right behind it. It froze, temporarily immobile, and Link, yelling loudly, brought out his sword and hacked off a few of its tentacles. But then it could move again, and this time turned to look at him. Giving off some sort of low growling sound, barely audible over the thumping of the heart, it attacked.

His boomerang in one hand and his sword in the other, Link prepared to face it.

---

Ruto let out a sigh of relief when the octopus thing turned away from her, then gasped in dismay as she realized that it was going for Link instead now.

She glanced around nervously. What could she do? Maybe shout out something and distract it, but that would get her killed, since save for her fins, she was completely unarmed. Besides, she couldn't fight while holding her mother's stone at the same time, and there was no way she was going to let it go, not when she had finally found it again after so long. Link seemed to be doing fine, anyway…

She decided to do the only thing a Zora in her position _could_ do. She escaped.

The wall behind her was covered with small veins, which offered her enough purchase so that she was able to climb up it without too much difficulty, though holding her mother's stone delicately in her mouth was rather tedious. The thumping didn't help much, but it wasn't so bad that it threatened to throw her off the wall.

She climbed higher and higher for what seemed like a very long time—the sounds of the battle between Link and the octopus ringing in her ears all the while—until she finally reached a small opening in the ceiling where she could go into the chamber above. Letting go of the veins on the wall, she flopped over onto the ground, tired and in need of water. She was drying up, she realized suddenly. If she stayed in here any longer she'd end up dying. It was fine when she had been in Lord Jabu-Jabu's digestive track, as there was always enough water, however tainted, there. But here she was, inside his _heart_, of all places, and the blood wasn't hydrating her very well…

_I _will _get out of here_, she thought fiercely, and, with nothing to guide her way but her determination, she began to walk.

---

Link was sweating freely now, the giant Octorok wearing him down more than he cared to admit. Normally, he was sure he'd be able to destroy it quickly enough, but he had just recovered from being literally shocked and was slower than he usually was. Grunting loudly with the effort, he hacked yet another tentacle off and backed away as it thrashed out in pain and came at him again.

He threw the boomerang for what seemed to be the thousandth time, ran to the stunned Octorok, and severed its second-to-last tentacle, dashing away before it regained its mobility. _Close now_, he thought, and prepared to hurl the boomerang again when it did something completely unexpected: it hurled its entire body at him, crushing him under its weight. They both screamed out in pain simultaneously; Link from being pressed into the wall by it; the Octorok from Link's sword, which had been drawn, slicing through its body. He breathed in loudly, trying to get some air, while the Octorok was in its death throes. Finally, it went still, and the pressure on Link's body lessened slightly. "Navi?" he called out weakly, tasting the goo that had been coating the Octorok's body in his mouth. Gross.

"Link?" came the anxious reply. "What happened to you? Where are you?"

He tried to move, but couldn't. Why wouldn't this thing dissolve like the tentacles had? "I'm trapped." He paused to inhale slowly. "Between the Octorok and the wall."

He could hear Navi's sharp intake of breath. Then, suddenly, he realized that hers was the only intake of breath he was hearing. "Where's Ruto?"

"She's… gone."

Gone? "Where?"

Navi paused before answering. "She climbed up the heart's wall into the chamber above, I think."

Great. Here he was, trapped between a giant Octorok and a moving wall, with no way of getting out.

"I think the movement of the wall is making the Octorok slide down," Navi said suddenly. "If you wait for a while, it'll eventually slide down enough so that you can make your way out. Then we can go find Ruto."

He groaned. What had possessed her to go off by herself? She must be insane! If there had been a giant Octorok in here, who knew what else wandered these chambers…

Hours later, or at least, it seemed that way, Link's hand was finally free and he could muster up sufficient strength to push the Octorok away from him. "Goddesses," he groaned, clutching at his stomach. "I think I may have broken a few ribs…"

Navi fluttered around him nervously. "I… I don't know what we can do about it," she said quietly. "But think of it this way… at least you're not dead, right? You're able to bear a little more pain now because of the heart containers…"

He glared at her. "I'm tired of bearing pain," he said harshly. "I want this to end. I'm going to find Ruto, get out of this cursed place, and somehow grapple the Spiritual Stone away from her. Then I'll go back to Zelda, give her these _stupid_ things, unlock the Door of Time, then go back to Kokiri Forest and never leave again. You know, I don't even know why I'm still alive. I should have died when I left the forest! But here I am, wandering around in trees and caverns and giant fish and _always_ I come _so close_ to losing my life, except _no_, I _don't_, because I always end up living so I can get beat up again! Okay, I care about Zelda! I don't want to let her down! But is it worth it? Will living under Ganondorf be so much worse than what's happening right now?" He paused to catch his breath and glared at Navi.

The fairy was regarding him with a sad look in her eyes. "Ganondorf is a wicked man," she said after a while. "He will destroy Hyrule as we know it. Sometimes, one person must suffer so that others will not… because it is his duty…"

"I don't want it to be my duty anymore!" he snapped, finding to his surprise that he was crying. "Look at us, Navi! Look at _me_! I've _killed_ things, and half the time, I ended up enjoying it!" He unsheathed his sword and looked at the blood crusted onto it. "I've killed so much I do it almost by instinct now. I hate that. I hate me. Once I'm done with this whole thing, I'm just going to stay with Saria in the meadow. Period. I was a fool to get involved in this. Now let's go, we have to find Ruto and get out of this place."

"The choice isn't yours to make," Navi said softly.

He turned to look at her. "What?"

She shook her head.

Scowling darkly at her, he turned back to the wall and began to climb, trying not to think about his broken ribs. He'd have to go back to the Great Fairy once he got out of here. The thought dismayed him. The Great Fairy was so far away from Zora's Domain…

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. The sooner he was done with this whole business, the better.

An agonizing hour later, he finally made his way up to the next chamber, immediately sprawling over on the floor in exhaustion, clutching at his stomach. Navi was darting around nervously. She seemed to be trying to make some sort of decision…

"Link," she said after he had been lying on the floor for nearly ten minutes. He grunted at her, and she frowned. "I know you're mad at me, but just… listen. I'm going to do something for you… it should make you feel a little better. The problem with doing this is that I'll be unable to help you for a while."

That got his attention. "What?" he asked groggily.

"I'm your fairy, Link. The bond we share allows me to give you some of my strength. But in doing so, I get sapped, so I won't be able to do anything for a while except sit around. I won't be able to warn you about any enemies or light the way… in short, I'll be pretty much unconscious."

He looked at her uncertainly, then shook his head. "I can't do that, Navi. I need your help. I'll get up on my own." He stood up shakily, smiled a little at her, then promptly fell over again.

She shook her head. "I'm doing this, Link. Just… remember to put me away once I'm out."

"No!" he hissed, but she wasn't listening to him anymore. She flew over to his chest, settled herself directly over his heart, and…

He wasn't exactly sure what she was doing. Her light was dimming, and as it did, he could feel renewed strength flowing through him in a warm rush of heat. Finally, her glow went out completely, and she rolled off his chest and landed in the thin sheet of blood covering the floor.

"Navi," he whispered hoarsely, and picked her up, looking at her sadly. He was alone now, until he found Ruto, anyway. And there was still the matter of getting out of this place…

Putting Navi gently into his pouch, he stood up—with much greater ease this time, though it was still painful—and looked around, trying to figure out where Ruto would have gone. There was another valve on the far side of the room, and he went through it. _How far away is she?_ his mind thought frantically. _How long before Navi's strength will give out, leaving us all trapped in here?_

There were no answers, and he continued on, trying to find them.

---

She had a rather unpleasant feeling that she was walking in circles. Hadn't she seen that pattern of veins half-an-hour ago? And she remembered that odd crackling sound from the first time she had gone into that room…

She coughed violently and closed her eyes in despair. She would never get out of here. She'd die first. Why had she left Link? It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now it seemed foolish.

_You were wrong for once_, she thought bitterly, finding herself once again in the cavernous room that had been the source of a strange crackling noise. Too tired to go on, she sat down, leaning back against the pulsating wall. She wanted to cry, but she was afraid that if she did, she'd dry up even faster, and then she would die for sure. She couldn't have that. So instead, she just sat there, her legs soaking in Lord Jabu-Jabu's blood, clutching her mother's stone to her body protectively. Its small blue glow was an immense source of comfort to her. Never mind the fact that it was the reason she was in here, it was still her mother's stone and she'd treasure it with all she had.

She coughed again, then sighed a little. What if she died in here? None of the Zoras would ever find her. She wouldn't be able to be buried at the bottom of Lake Hylia. No, she would stay in here, decomposing, without even those earthly insects tearing at her. Then she would become part of the blood and be circulated throughout Lord Jabu-Jabu's veins, and then nutrients would be absorbed into her and then…

_Stop thinking about it_, she chided herself. She wouldn't die here. She couldn't. She was Princess Ruto, and she could do anything.

Sheathed in that belief, she was about to drop off to sleep when the crackling sound suddenly intensified and a bolt of electricity shot out, aimed directly for her.

---

He was sure he was getting close to something. Just what that something was, he didn't know, but it was there. He had been wandering around in the many chambers of Jabu-Jabu's heart when he began to notice a strange zapping sort of sound in the background. After pushing on for a while, the sound had gotten louder, and now, as he stood outside another valve, he had a feeling that once he entered the next room, it would be at its loudest yet.

Stepping through the valve, his suspicions were immediately confirmed as he heard a shriek and a thunderous crackling noise, accompanied by a bright flash of light. Thinking quickly, he realized it was a bolt of electricity aimed at—

"Ruto!" he shouted as he ran up to her and shoved her out of the way. The bolt missed Link by inches and went straight into the wall, causing it to thump wildly for a while before slowing down.

She glared up at him, then scowled. "You're late!" she shouted at him. "What took you so long?"

He gaped at her in disbelief for a few seconds before remembering the strange electric monster. "I'm here to save you!" he shouted back, then pushed her out of the way again as another bolt of electricity hurled itself at them. "Navi, what is this thing?" he asked quickly, before remembering guiltily that Navi was currently unconscious in his pouch.

To his surprise, Ruto answered. "Barinade," she whispered, and he had to strain his ears to hear her. "I've heard stories about it…"

"How do I kill it?" he yelled, dodging a bolt meant only for him this time.

"I don't know!" came the frightened reply. "It's a bio-electric anemone… so I think that means you'll have to stun it to be able to get close enough without it being able to hit you with its bolts!"

"Great," he mumbled under his breath, bringing out his boomerang while keeping an eye on Barinade, which was a truly bizarre-looking monster. It seemed to be a large pinkish, spiked ball covered with bigger versions of Biri—in other words, Bari, as he had learned—with five probe-like things hanging from the top, which looked to be the source of the electric bolts. The whole thing crackled with light, enabling Link to have a good view of it.

He began to circle it, trying to figure out what to do. Only now was he beginning to realize how much he had relied on Navi to be analyzing this sort of stuff. Without her, he was clueless as to what to hit first.

Making a wild guess, he hurled his boomerang at one of the probes on its head, smiling a little as it flopped over, temporarily stunned. When the boomerang returned to his hand, he threw it at another probe, then another.

Eventually, though, Barinade seemed to tire of this; the Bari disconnected themselves from its body and began circling the ball wildly, but he ignored them and this time aimed the boomerang at the body, which was unprotected. With a horrible-sounding squeal, it went still, and Link dashed over to it and jabbed at the ball several times with his sword, even using the spin technique he had learned from the Great Fairy to damage it further.

The Bari that were circling it began to pop, dying, but then Barinade became mobile again and this time rose out of the ground a little, revealing more Bari attached underneath it. These Bari disengaged themselves from Barinade and began circling him the way the first batch of Bari had, but again, he ignored them and aimed for the body. Time and time again, the Bari deflected his boomerang—they were spinning _that_ quickly—but finally, he got through and managed to stun Barinade a second time.

This time, though, Barinade sunk into the ground, using the floor to hide its body, while the Bari continued to circle it, so Link focused his attention on them. Meanwhile, the probes he had hit at the beginning of the battle seemed to be functioning again, and bolts of lightning shot out, trying to hit him. He was able to sidestep them long enough to kill all the Bari, and then Barinade rose out of the ground again, spinning madly.

Link threw his boomerang at it for what seemed to be the thousandth time, then ran over and managed to strike it with his sword once before it sunk into the floor, leaving only its probes aboveground. He tried to stun the probes, but it seemed that they were only weak from below, and now that they were eye level, he couldn't hit their soft spot.

It tried to hit him with its lightning bolts again, but he was able to dodge them all, and eventually it rose out of the ground again, spinning. Once more he stunned it, and once more he hit it with his sword before it sunk into the floor. The bolts lashed out again, but this time he was too slow—one of them hit him squarely, and he cried out in pain as the electricity crackled throughout his body. He could hear Ruto scream from a long way off.

Breathing so fast he was on the verge of hyperventilating, he stumbled away from Barinade, clutching both his stomach and his head. All of the hair on his body was on end. There was no time to rest, though. Barinade had come out of the floor again, spinning toward him. He threw his boomerang at it and missed, then tried throwing it again and missed a second time.

Barinade was almost on top of him by now, and he was sent flying as it bumped up against him, the spikes on its body leaving two red gashes on his chest. Ruto screamed again.

He screamed in rage and frustration and hurled his boomerang once more, and this time it hit home. Unsheathing his sword, he ran straight up to it, and this time jabbed his sword into it up to the hilt. Barinade's probes thrashed out madly, and its whole body lit up with electricity. Some of it channeled through his sword and into him, but he kept his hand where it was, refusing to let go. He could feel his heart pumping wildly.

Finally, he was forced to let go of the sword when Barinade rose into the air, writhing as large red boils covered its entire body. Then, in a burst of white light and green guts, it exploded, leaving bits and pieces of it to float down onto Jabu-Jabu's pool of blood. The sword landed blade-first into the ground, covered with goo but otherwise unharmed.

For a long while, Link stood there, hands on his legs, panting and oblivious to everything except for the pain that ratcheted through him. Eventually, Ruto came up to him and poked at his shoulder tentatively. "Are you okay?" she said, looking as if the question had cost her a lot to ask.

He permitted himself a small smile. "Yeah. I'll be fine in a few minutes."

She pointed at something. "Look."

It was a heart container. He walked over to it and picked it up, feeling the now-familiar sensation of… something. Even now, he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Once the feeling faded, he pulled his sword out from the floor, then looked around. There had been a heart container, which meant Barinade had been the lead enemy planted by Ganondorf inside Jabu-Jabu, which meant that him being destroyed would eventually restore Jabu-Jabu to normal, which meant…

There it was. Their way out of this cursed place.

Ruto was looking at it curiously. "It's a portal," he explained quickly. "If we walk into it, we'll be taken outside."

She stared at him, as if it were almost too good to be true. "Outside?"

He nodded. "Come on, you'll see." He sheathed his sword, put away his boomerang, and took Navi, who was still unconscious, out of his pouch and placed her in one hand. Ruto glanced at the fairy uncertainly, but, surprisingly enough, remained silent.

Together, the three of them entered the blue halo of light, looking at each other with relief etched onto their faces. "We're free," Link whispered softly, and then they were lifted away.


	9. Chapter Eight: The Temple of Time

A/N: Wow, so after a looong break (a whole year, in fact), I'm back! Sort of. But not for long, because once again school's starting soon so I won't have much time to work on this. I kinda wish I had stared earlier, but oh well, too late for regrets, eh wot?

---

**Chapter Eight: The Temple of Time**

They landed on a log sticking out of the water near Jabu-Jabu, and it was all Link could do to not cry out in joy. He closed his eyes as he felt his feet touch the log, and, still holding Navi in one hand, breathed in deeply. Air had never felt so good.

Ruto giggled, and he opened his eyes to look at her and found her standing rather close to him. He shouted out in shock, then topped backward off the log and into the water. Ruto giggled some more, placed the Spiritual Stone of Water carefully on the log, then jumped in and began swimming toward him.

As she did so, he felt something land on his shoulder, and looked over in surprise. Navi was awake again, soaking wet but otherwise fine. "Uhhh," she groaned. "What happened? Why are you in the water?" She looked around, saw Jabu-Jabu off to the side, and was about to say something more, but Ruto spoke first.

"You!" she snapped, swimming so close to him that their bodies were almost touching. "You looked cool… cooler than I thought you would, anyway… just a little!"

Link looked at her oddly. "What?"

"When you were saving me from Barinade. I didn't know you could fight so well. Your hair looks terrible, and you're soaked in blood, but still."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't look so great yourself."

She grinned, dove underwater for a few seconds, then came back up again. "I'll be fine. The blood's almost washed away now, and I feel much better since I'm back in the water again and hearing sounds other than the beating of Lord Jabu-Jabu's heart…"

Link nodded absently, and they remained silent for a while, listening to the crickets chirp and staring up at the night sky. After a while, Ruto spoke.

"Well, anyway, you saved me, so I guess I'll reward you. What do you wish? Just tell me…"

His mind worked frantically. He glanced surreptitiously at the Spiritual Stone, then at Navi, who shrugged. Would Ruto give it up? Did she believe that the stone would be an acceptable payment for saving her life? He didn't know. "I…" he began, then stopped. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Ruto giggled. "Don't be shy. I can tell what you're thinking… you want my mother's stone, don't you? The Spiritual Stone of Water, or rather, Zora's Sapphire, right?"

So she knew its "official" name. He stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded tightly.

The Zora seemed to be lost in thought. "My mother gave it to me and said I should give it only to the man who will be my husband. You might call it the Zora's Engagement Ring!"

He started at the mention of a husband. "What? I have to be your husband to take it?"

But Ruto was already climbing back up the log, heedless of his words. "All right!" she said brightly. "I'll give you my most precious possession: Zora's Sapphire!"

His mind grappled madly with his choices. If he took the stone, he'd be betrothed to her, but he'd have it and would thus be able to open the Door of Time. If he didn't take it, he wouldn't have to marry her, but…

But Ganondorf would take over, and it really wouldn't matter who he had to marry, because they would all be dead.

It seemed as if he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, it was all moot, wasn't it? After he unlocked the Door of Time and did whatever he had to do in the Sacred Realm, which he assumed was probably what the Door of Time led to, he could return to the forest and follow up on the vow he had made after defeating that giant Octorok. Ruto wouldn't be able to find him there. She wouldn't even be able to _go_ there. He felt a little bad about cheating her, but there was nothing he feared more at the moment than having to marry this conceited little Zora. Sure, she was nicer to him now since he had saved her life, but still… he could just imagine her bossing him around every second of the day…

Ruto had jumped back into the water, holding the Spiritual Stone in her hands. He took it from her slowly, almost reverently, and tucked it carefully away in his pack. "Thanks," he said softly.

"Yes," she replied cheerfully, "you had better be thankful I gave it to you. It _was_ my mother's, you know."

He grinned at her. She had only told him that, what, five times already?

She splashed some water on her face and looked at him. "I should go now," she said. "The Zoras will be missing me. I'll be sure to tell him that you saved me!" She began to swim away, back to Zora's Domain, then turned to face him again. "About our engagement, though… don't tell my father!"

Link nodded, and she winked and continued to swim back to the domain. In a few seconds, she had disappeared into the tunnel, and he and Navi were alone.

He turned to look at the fairy, who was trying to fly, though she wasn't doing a very good job about it. "I'm going to swim to that tree over there," he said to her, pointing at a small stretch of land at the edge of the fountain, and after she nodded, he placed her under his hat and paddled weakly to it. The pain from his broken ribs was coming back, and it was more intense than ever. He'd have to spend the night in the fountain, then either go somewhere where he could stay while his bones mended themselves, or to the Great Fairy at the top of Death Mountain. The former would probably take too much time, but the latter would too if he took too long to get there, and there was no reason to believe that something wouldn't happen to him on the way.

He pulled himself onto the ground slowly. He'd think about it tomorrow. Right now, he needed rest.

It didn't seem as if he'd be getting that, though, not for a few minutes, anyway. As soon as his hands were clutching at the dirt, Navi shot out of his hat and flew over to a rock nestled against a wall. "Link!" she shouted, sounding much stronger than he had expected her to. "There's something… about this rock. I can feel something beyond it…"

He rolled over wearily. "Please don't tell me it's a monster."

"No, I don't think so… but you really should check it out… right now…"

Link groaned, then pulled himself up and walked over to where Navi was hovering. "You're still too weak to be doing that," he chided, and placed her back underneath his hat. Something beyond it? Well, as long as the rock was in the way, he wouldn't be able to get to it…

He poked at the contents of his pack until he found what he was looking for, then placed it right next to the rock. A few seconds later, the bomb exploded, blowing the rock into pieces. It revealed a tunnel that led into the darkness…

"I'm going in," he whispered to no one in particular, and began to walk.

---

The first things he saw were two torches that burned with green fire, the only light in an otherwise dark room. He walked closer to them, and abruptly realized where he was.

It was no surprise when the room suddenly lit up, revealing walls with liquid glitter running down them and a large fountain. His ocarina was already out by the time he reached the Triforce at the foot of the fountain.

_The Great Fairy's Fountain_, he thought, and began to play Zelda's Lullaby.

Laughter exploded out of the fountain, and a woman who looked exactly the same as the Great Fairy from Death Mountain spiraled out of it. She lay down in midair and regarded him for a while before speaking.

"Welcome, Link!" she began, and somehow the fact that she knew his name didn't surprise him. "I am the Great Fairy of Magic. I will give you a magic spell… please take it."

Well, this was unexpected. Another spell. But he nodded and brought out his hands as an orb of green light floated toward him. Once he had taken hold of it, the light faded, revealing a clear, diamond-shaped crystal with a light green sphere encased in it. "This is Farore's Wind," the Great Fairy said. "It is a warp magic. Use it when you are in danger! It will teleport you to the Warp Point, which you can create when you first use the magic. When you use the magic again, you can warp to that point. However, it can only be used inside buildings that present danger to you…"

He nodded, and she gestured again; this time white dust flew out of her hands as a yellow light encircled him. There was movement within him, and he knew the Great Fairy was using her magic to mend his broken ribs and to heal the other spots that had been damaged. After a while, the light faded, and the Great Fairy smiled at him. "When battle has made you weary, please come back to see me," she said, then vanished back into the fountain.

"I feel so much better now," Navi chirped cheerfully as they walked out. "So are you going to tell me what you did while I was out?"

He cast a sideways glance at her, then smiled. "After I get some sleep," he promised.

When they arrived at Zora's Fountain again, the sky was already beginning to lighten. He had been awake for almost twenty-four hours. "I'm exhausted," he said to Navi. She nodded in agreement, and together, the two of them curled up at the base of a trunk and were asleep in seconds.

---

She paced the room nervously, back and forth, back and forth. But this was bizarre. She was much too young to be pacing.

"He has to come," she said over and over again.

Impa, packing some of Zelda's belongings into a small bag, didn't answer.

---

Link woke up to see the sun shining down on him. Yawning loudly, he got up and stretched, listening to the sound of the birds and Jabu-Jabu's breathing. "You know, Navi, I haven't felt this good in a while," he said, inhaling deeply. "It's all over! I can go see Zelda, and then she'll be able to take the Stones and do whatever with them. And then I can wander around in the Lost Woods and tell everyone about my adventures and Mido won't be able to kick me out! No more lizard-infested caverns or—"

"Shut up," Navi said, exasperated. "The longer it takes for you to get the stones to her, the longer it'll be before you can go home. Come on, get a move on already."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "_Someone_ didn't sleep too well."

"It's hard when your head is right on top of me," she snapped back.

Link, unfazed, headed back into Zora's Domain, where the Zoras clapped his back and told him what a great job he had done. He grinned at them and headed to the river, whistling all the way.

---

There was a terrible roaring sound coming from somewhere inside the castle, and Zelda knew that the end had come.

"We have to get out of here, Princess!" Impa hissed, snatching Zelda up and carrying her unceremoniously to the gates, where the horses were tethered.

"Wait!" Zelda shrieked, removing herself from Impa's grasp just as she was about to be thrown onto the horse and making her way to the guard stationed there, who looked down at her, confused.

"Princess, shouldn't you be—"

She held up one hand commandingly, and he fell silent. "Listen to me. The castle has fallen. Warn as many people as you can, then escape."

"And the king…?"

"The king is dead," she said heavily, knowing it to be true without actually having found out. "Ganondorf killed him, and he will most likely kill everyone else in the castle if you don't get out while you can. Don't try to fight him—just run!"

Impa picked her up again, and this time she let herself be placed onto the horse without any complaints. "One more thing," she said, turning around to face the guard. "I—I was waiting for a boy from the forest… if you see him, tell him that I have something for him—"

"Yah!" Impa shouted at the horse, kicking its flanks.

"Remember!" Zelda shouted at the guard, who was fading into the distance, and, cradled by Impa's body, allowed herself to be carried away.

---

"I think I should let Saria know that I'll be back soon," Link said cheerfully, pausing at the entrance to Zora's Domain and bringing out his ocarina.

"Whatever," Navi grumbled. Link figured she was still affected by the events in Jabu-Jabu's body, hence her irritability.

He shrugged and played Saria's Song. After a few seconds, he could hear her voice inside his head. _Link?_

"Yeah," he said. But there was something bothering him. She didn't sound very happy. "What's wrong?"

A pause. _I don't know what it is… but I have this feeling of dread… The castle…_

The castle?

_Yes, something bad is happening at the Castle!_

Goddesses, no, _Zelda's_ castle!

"I'll talk to you later," he whispered, and began to run.

---

"Where is she?" he roared at no one in particular—since, of course, there was really no one to roar at. Somewhere behind him, the remains of the King of Hyrule and a few guards were smoldering. Killing them had been no problem. He had been too obvious, though, because now Zelda was obviously alerted…

_Ah, Ganondorf, King of the Gerudos, can't even kill a little girl._ Nabooru would laugh in his face. He couldn't let that happen.

He glanced outside and saw a few horses milling around. She'd have escaped, of course, with that stoic woman, Impa. They had probably suspected him all along.

The thought enraged him further, and he knew that he'd have to go after them. Besides, she had the Ocarina of Time, and he knew that it was a powerful talisman. No one but him could have it.

He stormed over to the horses and saw one of the guards frantically trying to keep them under control. Maybe the man didn't know what had happened yet. "You, horse," he said, pointing aggressively.

The guard straightened and looked at him. There was fear etched on his face, but to his credit, he didn't back off. "I'm afraid I can't let you have one." He spoke loudly, confidently, but Ganondorf knew that the guard was no match for him.

Oh, he'd be afraid, all right. Maybe he should have killed the man outright, but it was more fun to toy with him. "Your loss," he said, snatching the reins of a large black horse.

The guard pulled out a sword.

"You want to fight?" Ganondorf asked, his mouth twisting into a crooked grin. "Good luck." He gestured casually, and the guard was sent flying.

Time to go after them.

He mounted the stallion and rode off into the city.

---

He was afraid that he might have been too late.

As he approached the gatehouse that led into Hyrule Castle Town, he noticed the sky getting darker, and not just because night was approaching. It was beginning to rain.

"The gate is up," he whispered, suddenly terrified.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the white arch of the gatehouse, causing the engraving of the Triforce to shine briefly.

_White arch… the rain…_

There was a loud crashing noise, and Link recognized it as a mix of thunder and the gate coming down. He could hear something approaching.

_It was his dream._

And then he remembered. The girl and the woman—they were Zelda and Impa, and any moment they would come charging out—

He barely had enough presence of mind to throw himself out of the way before a white blur shot past him.

_Zelda!_

But before he could get up and look for her, she was gone. Behind him, in the moat, he could hear a plopping sound. Had she thrown something? He couldn't be sure.

There was no time to look, though—if his dream was coming true now—

Another horse shot out of the gatehouse, but this time it stopped. This one was black, and riding it was…

Ganondorf.

Link knew that he should run, that this man was dangerous and would probably try to kill him. But he found himself unable to move.

"Argh! I lost her!" Ganondorf was saying, clenching his fists in frustration. He turned and saw Link. "You, over there! Little kid! You must have seen the white horse gallop past just now… which way did it go?"

Link was still frozen. He couldn't bring himself to do anything in this man's presence.

"Answer me!"

This time, he was able to shake his head no. He was being foolish, stubborn—but he couldn't let this man get Zelda.

"So you think you can protect them from me… you've got guts, kid."

_That's right_, he thought fiercely. _I'm protecting them. You can't make me talk._ Without thinking, he drew out his sword.

Ganondorf laughed. The sound of it sent chills down his spine. "Heh heh heh… you want a piece of me? Very funny! I like your attitude!"

Link wasn't sure what to do. There he was, standing in the rain, facing the most dangerous man in Hyrule, and all he could do was bring out his sword, a move that seemed likely to get him killed. He wondered vaguely where Navi was.

The next thing he knew, he was on his back, writhing in pain as Ganondorf's magic coursed through him, robbing him of his strength. "Pathetic little fool!" he heard the Gerudo say. "Do you realize who you are dealing with? I am Ganondorf, and soon I will rule the world!" He rode off just as Link got up, watching him go.

_It begins_, Link thought, horrified, staring off into the gloom and wondering if it would ever lift.

---

After Navi checked him for injuries and pronounced him fit to go on, the two of them proceeded into Hyrule Castle Town. Despite the rain, he could see several people crowded together under a market stall, chattering loudly. He inched closer to hear them.

"Wasn't that Princess Zelda riding on the white horse?"

"That guy riding on the black horse must have been Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves!"

"We don't see a lot of Gerudos in these parts… something fishy is going on!"

"I almost got kicked by that black horse!"

All gossip. He didn't think any of them actually understood what had happened.

He wandered around while trying to find someone who knew what was going on and found himself in the back alley. Evading a drunken man mumbling something about a fountain, he headed deeper in and saw a guard lying against the wall. There were several bottles surrounding him. Maybe he was drunk as well.

"Hello?" he asked timidly.

The guard gave a shudder, and Link stepped back in spite of himself.

"Unnngh… are you the boy from the forest…?"

The man's breathing sounded labored. His eyes were barely open. There wasn't any blood, but the guard seemed to be hurt on the inside.

Link nodded. When the guard gave no response, he added quickly, "Yes."

"I-I-I've finally met you… I-I-I have something to tell you…"

"Go on," Link whispered. The guard seemed to take heart from this and reached out to clasp Link's hand. His grip was very weak.

"Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, betrayed our King… Zelda's nanny, Impa, sensed danger and escaped from the castle with our Princess…" He paused to draw in breath. "I tried to stop Ganondorf from chasing them… but…" He shook his head slowly.

Link glanced at Navi, who had come out of hiding. She looked nervous.

The guard took another breath. Link could hear his lungs rattle. "The Princess was… waiting for a boy from the forest… that's you… she wanted to give something to the boy… If you received it from the Princess, hurry… to the Temple of Time…"

He gave one last shudder and was limp. Link let go of his hand, watched it flop onto the ground, and winced.

"He's not moving anymore…" Navi said quietly.

Link hugged himself. He had an unpleasant feeling that things were not going to turn out the way he had hoped. Hyrule was in more danger than he had originally believed—the dead guard proved that. People were dying. Human beings, not just giant spiders or lizards or jellyfish.

And he and Zelda, it seemed, were the only ones who could save them.

"Let's go," he said to Navi, tearing his eyes away from the guard. "He said Zelda wanted to give something to me—I think she might have thrown it in the moat when she was escaping…"

He thought about it as he and Navi made their way back to the drawbridge. Zelda was gone, probably in hiding now. And it was his fault. If he hadn't spent so much time sauntering around…

"Don't blame yourself," Navi said, startling him. "Ganondorf would have attacked sooner or later, whether you had given the Stones to Zelda or not. Besides, you're human. You can't be expected to do everything without enjoying yourself sometimes…"

_You're human._ That was something that had been bugging him as well. What was he? A Kokiri? He wasn't even sure. Kokiri children were supposed to die if they left the forest, and here he was, still breathing—a little battered, but just fine, really. What was going on?

They reached the moat, where Navi flashed several times and dove down into the water. "Over here!" she called. He went over to her and jumped in—he had already been wet from the rain, so the moat didn't bother him too much—and saw something blue lying on the bottom. After he retrieved it, he went to stand under the white arch so that the rain wouldn't fall down on him and looked at it.

"The Ocarina of Time," Navi whispered in awe.

He knew she was right. It was a polished blue color that somehow managed to catch the light even though there wasn't much to catch in the first place. The Triforce was engraved on one side.

Closing his eyes, he put it to his lips and immediately felt the world disappear around him…

---

_Link… can you hear me? It's me, Zelda…_

He knew who it was, of course. He didn't think he'd ever forget her voice.

_Link, when you hold this Ocarina in your hand…_

Her voice trailed off. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but white.

_I won't be around anymore…_

The world seemed to materialize around him. Marble walls, a red carpet, and there, at the center…

_I wanted to wait for you, but I couldn't delay any longer…_

He had seen her flee the castle with Impa, and yet here she was, standing in front of the altar in the Temple of Time.

_At least I could leave you the Ocarina and this melody…_

She turned and faced him. There was something about her that didn't seem quite real, as if it were all a dream.

_This song opens the Door of Time…_

Zelda raised an ocarina—the Ocarina of Time—to her lips and played a short melody. She then disappeared in a flash of light, and Link found himself in her place, holding the same ocarina. He was able to play it through flawlessly—how, he didn't know—and then the world turned white once more, and there was only her voice.

_Now, Link. Play this melody in front of the altar in the Temple of Time. You must protect the Triforce!_

And then even her voice disappeared, to be replaced with a sort of buzzing. He shut his eyes; when he opened them again, he found himself on his hands and knees, gasping from the onslaught of emotion his contact with Zelda had left him.

"What—what happened?" he asked Navi between breaths.

"The Ocarina," Navi replied simply. "It's magical. Zelda created a link between you and her with it…"

When his heart finally slowed down a little, he stood up again and wrung out his tunic. It had stopped raining. "What now?"

"The Temple of Time, of course." She sounded distracted.

"Do you know something you're not telling me?" Link asked suspiciously.

"No," Navi replied, a little too quickly.

He frowned at her. "Oh yes, you do. Why do I have to open the Door of Time? What does it do?"

"It leads to the Sacred Realm and the Triforce. You know this."

"But there's something more."

She shrugged. "The guard spent his last breath telling you that you should go to the Temple of Time. I think you should listen to him."

He glared at her, but the mention of the guard made him feel guilty enough that he didn't reply. Without another word, he hiked up his belt and headed there.

Once inside, he went straight for the altar, which he hadn't paid much attention to the first time he had come. There were three hollows and an inscription.

"Ye who owns three Spiritual Stones, stand with the Ocarina of Time and play the Song of Time," he read. With a quick glance at Navi, he brought them out of his pack—the Kokiri's Emerald, the Goron's Ruby, and the Zora's Sapphire. They seemed to float over to the altar and remained there, spinning in midair. After a moment's hesitation, he brought out Zelda's ocarina as well and played the Song of Time.

The notes echoed eerily off the temple walls, but nothing happened. "There's no door," he said, crestfallen. He was about to turn around and leave when Navi cried out, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

"Do you hear that?" she asked.

He stood there silently, trying to discern something. Yes, there was a kind of low grinding sound… but what did that mean?

He had his answer seconds later, as he watched the wall behind the altar slowly open. There seemed to be another room in there. Navi flew into it, illuminating the walls. There was something in the room, something that looked like—

"Link, isn't that… It's that legendary blade… the Master Sword!"

And so it was. He walked over to it, studying it from every angle. The hilt was a deep purple, while the blade itself was a bluish-silver color. It was the most wondrous sword he had ever seen.

Without being quite aware of what he was doing, he slowly reached out and pulled it out of its pedestal and watched as the world turned white around him…

---

Amid the white, there was a dark shape that slowly materialized enough so that Link could make out what it was.

Ganondorf.

His lips weren't moving, but he could hear his voice anyway…

_Excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have led me to the gates of the Sacred Realm… yes, I owe it all to you, kid!_

He broke into raucous laughter, which slowly, agonizingly faded away along with Ganondorf's image.

What was he talking about? Leading him to the Sacred Realm?

_What had he done?_

Zelda had told him to open the Door of Time. And he had. But surely this hadn't been what was supposed to happen…

_Navi!_ he wanted to shout out, but he had neither a voice nor a body.

What was happening to him? He needed to get out of here, so that he could close the Door of Time. _Let me go!_ he howled soundlessly, but nothing replied.

_Sleep, child_, a voice whispered. He found himself suddenly growing weary, but there was nothing he could do about it. The white changed to black, and he thought no more.

---

A/N: FYI, the dying guard is a character you can actually find in the game. After you collect all three Spiritual Stones and view the cutscene with Zelda and Impa fleeing Ganondorf, go to the back alley and look for a guy slumped against the wall. That's him. Talk to him, and he'll tell you, well, basically the stuff that the guard in this story told Link. XD And then he dies, which is sad. But yeah, a lot of people don't seem to know about him (I know I didn't find him until my most recent play through), so now you can see him, yay.

Also, the next chapter will NOT immediately take place seven years later—I plan on going a little into the lives of Zelda, Malon, Saria, and all of Link's other pals as they, you know, have to adjust to living in a dying Hyrule. Whee. Oh, and there will also be, I dunno, an "epilogue" to the dead guard. Heh. Heh. Heh.


	10. Chapter Nine: Seven Years, Part One

A/N: Heh, long chapter, but it's mainly because of all the changes in POV. :P Anyway, this is the first part (out of two, I'm thinking) of the seven years that passed while Link was knocked out in the Sacred Realm. It features the goddesses, Zelda/Sheik, Malon, the Happy Mask Salesman, Saria, Ruto, Darunia, and Nabooru. Basically I wanted to show what was going on in Hyrule from as many different POVs as possible, and I think I've mostly done that. I know I'm missing Lake Hylia, but… eh. XD

---

**Chapter Nine: Seven Years, Part One**

—_The Gerudo is inside_—

—_That's not possible_—

—_The boy was successful. He opened the Door of Time_—

—_And so the Gerudo entered after him_—

—_He has laid hands on the Triforce, but it broke at his touch_—

—_So all is lost_—

—_Not yet_—

---

The beginning of the end came quickly.

Zelda and Impa rode all the way to Lake Hylia, where Impa whipped out her ocarina and played the Nocturne of Shadow. Doing so forced them to leave the horse behind, but at least it made them untrackable. Ganondorf, of course, would know what had happened, but Hyrule was big and they wouldn't be found so easily.

They wound up in the graveyard, which was empty save for a little boy poking at the ground with a stick. They hid behind a large tombstone and waited for the boy to leave, which turned out to be just a few minutes later.

Impa straightened. "We knew this day would come," she said softly.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." She wanted to cry, but to do so right now was a sign of weakness. No, she would cry later. When she was safe.

"It'll be all right."

Zelda didn't bother to reply. She helped Impa move one of the tombstones and climbed down into the hole beneath; once they were inside, Impa managed to maneuver the tombstone back to its original position.

She looked around. They were in a small room furnished with a torch, two cots, and a box containing enough provisions to last them for some time. It wasn't much, but they would be safe here. Space wouldn't be a problem, either—the room was connected to a series of other underground rooms that spread throughout Kakariko Village. The network was old; it had been around for hundreds of years so that the Sheikah could travel them at leisure. Impa had come here recently to tidy up the room enough for their imminent arrival.

"Sleep, Princess," Impa said. "I will check to make sure nothing nearby threatens…"

She meant Redeads, of course. Being located in a graveyard, running into one was a likely occurrence if you weren't careful. Impa was more than a match for them, though.

After she was gone, Zelda sat down against the wall and thought. During their ride to Lake Hylia, she had felt something—she didn't know what at the time, but now she recognized it. Link had retrieved the Ocarina of Time and learned the Song of Time. All he had to do now was to…

She gasped suddenly, feeling as if her heart would stop. Something had happened just now.

There were footsteps; an instant later, Impa appeared in the room, breathing heavily. She had felt it too.

Link had opened the Door of Time. But something more had taken place, and it wasn't what she had been expecting.

_Ganondorf had entered the Sacred Realm._

"Oh, goddesses!" she cried out, then clamped her hands over her mouth. She was suddenly scared that if she spoke too loudly, he would hear her.

What had she done?

Ganondorf was going to take over Hyrule, and it was all her fault.

---

Ingo was acting strangely.

Ever since they had seen the two horses galloping past Lon Lon Ranch, he had been laughing gleefully to himself and muttering nonsense under his breath. When she asked him why he was doing that, he'd tell her to shut up and keep working.

It had been a day since she had witnessed that strange race. That day turned out to be the longest of her life.

Something was wrong at the castle. That much was obvious. A visitor had come to them that day, saying that there had been a takeover and that the king was dead. "Who did it?" she asked.

"The King of Thieves," the visitor replied.

But she didn't know who the King of Thieves was until weeks later, when she overheard an argument between Ingo and her father.

"You are useless to the great Ganondorf!" Ingo was shouting as Talon sat in a corner, fiddling with his mustache. "How are we supposed to please him if you can't do anything?"

"There now," Talon said, holding his hands up. "I thought Ganondorf was an evil man…"

Ingo turned suddenly to look at the door, and Malon was scared that he might somehow be able to see her through the keyhole. "Evil to those who refuse to work!" he shrieked. "You had better contribute soon, or I'll kick you right off this farm!"

"But this is _my_ ranch!"

"I don't _care_!"

At that point, Malon couldn't take it any longer, so she opened the door, which shut them both up immediately.

"Hello there, girl," her father said, trying to smile.

She glanced at Ingo, whose face was red. "Malon," he said, nodding tightly in greeting, then stormed upstairs to get some sleep.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked after the door to Ingo's room had slammed shut.

"Nothing," he replied.

She didn't believe him for a second.

---

The Happy Mask salesman peered out of the windows of his shop, watching the townspeople gossip about meaningless, trivial little things. He wondered if he should go out and join them, but then decided that they weren't worth his while. Besides, they'd never give him the time of day. They liked his masks—since he had opened shop a little while ago, he'd gotten a steady flow of customers—but they thought he was the strangest thing ever created by the goddesses. That was all right by him—he thought _they_ were the strange ones. To each his own, he supposed.

He closed the window blinds and stood in front of the door. Maybe he wouldn't talk to them, but he could still take a walk. The chase on horseback he had witnessed had been interesting. He had been almost sure that the Princess had been on that white horse, accompanied by Impa, her caretaker. He'd be able to find out more if he asked around.

Moments later, he was facing the soldier who was guarding the gate to Hyrule Castle. "Halt!" the soldier called out. He stopped obediently and smiled. The guard eyed him warily. "There's a lot going on in the castle right now," he said. "I can't allow even a dog to get in!"

"Of course," the Happy Mask salesman replied, smile still in place. He had always had a fondness for soldiers. The people of Hyrule looked up to them. Why, if he could get one to wear one of his masks, he was sure business would boom! "Tell me, is Princess Zelda in the castle?"

The guard shifted uncomfortably. "It's not my place to tell others the whereabouts of the Princess."

"That's because you don't know, do you?"

"Watch it." The man's hand was on the hilt of his sword.

"My apologies," he replied smoothly. "I will leave you to guard over—what? Nothing, it seems." With a short bow, he left, leaving the soldier to stare quizzically after him.

He decided to go to the back alley. None of the common people hung out back there, save for a few loiterers and thieves. Well, he had no problem with them. The only thing that mattered to him was his faith, and they couldn't steal that. That, and his masks, but he had a very large supply of them.

When he was as far in as he could go, he was shocked to discover a body lying against the wall. He leaned in closer to inspect it, then breathed in sharply.

Why, it was the body of a Hylian soldier!

He couldn't believe his luck. He hauled the body onto his back and went back to his little shop, where he cleaned the man up and polished his armor. From there, he arranged the dead man so that he was leaning against a wall and placed a Keaton Mask on his face. Hopefully, when the body stiffened, it would remain in that position. He'd take a trip to the potion shop later to get the proper ingredients to ensure that it wouldn't spoil.

"It's always good to have faith," he said to himself.

---

There was something growing in front of the Great Deku Tree's remains. She wasn't sure what it was, but before he had died, the Great Deku Tree had said that when he passed from this world, another would take his place. Maybe this was it.

She stood up and went back to the others. Technically, she could spend as much time as she wanted to watch the plant grow, since she didn't age, but that usually didn't provide much entertainment. She'd check back on it tomorrow.

"Let's go to the Lost Woods, Saria," Mido said, grabbing on to one of her hands.

She disengaged herself from him. "I'm not in the mood," she replied.

He frowned, but didn't say anything more. She knew what he was thinking about. Link.

"Let's talk about him," he said after a while.

She shook her head. It was too painful. "I'm going to sleep," she said. "Maybe later."

He frowned again. "I'll hold you to that."

With a quick wave, she left him and went to her house, where she crawled into bed. She didn't sleep, though. She couldn't.

A week ago, she had felt danger at the castle and had told Link. He had immediately gone there with a quick promise that he would talk to her later. But he hadn't.

Not that she was mad at him for not contacting her again—she could never be mad at him. But she _could_ be afraid, and she was. Something terrible had happened at the castle. Link was at the castle. What if something terrible had happened to Link?

She sighed into her pillow. She had a feeling that change was coming—change that would permeate even their forest. But what could she do about it?

_Nothing_, she thought bitterly, and drifted off to sleep.

---

Goddesses, it was getting cold in here. Not that the cold bothered her, but the temperature in Zora's Domain always remained the same throughout the year, and obviously, if it was getting cold, then that meant the temperature wasn't the same.

Something strange was going on.

She wondered if it had anything to do with her future husband, Link. The Zoras at Lake Hylia had told Ruto that on the same day he had left Zora's Domain after saving her, the Hylian Princess Zelda and her caretaker, Impa, had fled to the lake while being pursued by Ganondorf. When they had arrived at their destination, they had simply disappeared. Ganondorf, in his rage, had killed one of the Zoras that had been unfortunate enough to be in his range of vision. And then he had disappeared as well.

That had been two months ago. Since then, the weather had been getting colder—it was barely perceptible, but she could feel it nonetheless.

"I'm going to visit Jabu-Jabu," she announced to her father. Maybe the fish's warmth would help her take her mind off it.

"Don't get lost," King Zora said.

---

Whenever he put his ear to the wall, he could hear it shaking. This, of course, was no easy task, since his ears were small and located in a most inconvenient position for placing one's ear against the wall. But how was he supposed to tell otherwise? Certainly, if he just went about his business as usual, he could pretend it wasn't happening. But what good would that do? If he denied it, Death Mountain would explode and he would still be in shock.

He glanced over at the baby. _His_ baby. And a fine baby it was! A few days old and he was already eating several pounds of rock a day.

_Link_, he had named him, after the little boy who had come to Goron City not so long ago to ask for the Spiritual Stone of Fire. And Darunia had given it to him, of course—how could he not, after the boy had proved his worth by destroying King Dodongo and freed up the cavern so that they could enjoy their sirloin rocks again? The boy deserved to have a child named after him.

It was strange, he thought, about how this boy had touched his life so profoundly. How he had touched _everyone's_ life. King Zora had contacted Darunia earlier and told him that they had given Link the Spiritual Stone of Water after he had rescued their Princess from Lord Jabu-Jabu. There was a certain quality to the green-clad child that enabled him to win over everyone's hearts. Altruism. It was hard to find these days.

But Link was gone now, and he had no idea where. The Zoras couldn't tell him. There had been talk of a takeover in Hyrule Castle Town, which was where Link was supposedly last seen. What if he had been killed by that wicked man, Ganondorf?

_Nonsense_, he thought to himself, and believed it. If Ganondorf had indeed taken over, then Hyrule was in danger and his Sworn Brother, the King, was probably dead. This would sadden him greatly, but he would have to verify it for himself first. However, he didn't think for an instant that Link was dead. Where was the boy? He didn't know. He was sure, though, that they would meet again someday.

---

"Look at this," he said, and thrust his fist at her. "You thought I wouldn't be able to do it. But I did."

She looked at his hand coolly for a few seconds, then pushed it away. "It looks incomplete to me."

He reddened visibly. "That wasn't my fault!"

"Wasn't it? I know the legend, Ganondorf. You may be powerful, but apparently you lack wisdom or courage."

"That's not true."

"Oh? I heard what happened at Hyrule Castle Town. You killed the king and his guards. That doesn't sound very smart to me."

"Then tell me, Nabooru," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "what _would_ be smart?"

"At this point, nothing." She couldn't believe it. He had killed the king. Her advice had gone unheeded.

"I have the Triforce of Power!"

"I know, I know. But now the other two pieces are gone. What are you going to do, tear apart Hyrule to look for them?"

He snarled at her. "Yes. The country is mine now. I am King."

She said nothing. What could she do? Whatever happened now was irreversible.

A few minutes passed without either of them saying anything. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her. "What will you do next?"

"Take over, of course," he replied immediately. "I have sent my men to retrieve Redeads from Kakariko to clear out Hyrule Castle Town. And then… I'll work on the rest. Burn the Gorons. Freeze the Zoras."

"Oh, so you don't plan on doing anything horrible to us?" she snapped.

He looked at her. "Don't talk to me like that."

"I can talk to you however I like!"

"Nabooru!" he said, his voice so loud it hurt her ears. "Why can't you understand? Don't you know why I did all this? It was—"

She had a sudden, sinking feeling that whatever came next wouldn't be good. "No, Ganondorf!" she interrupted. "I _can't_ understand why you would want to kill innocents or rule over people who aren't even Gerudos! It's over! I loved you! Why couldn't you understand _that_?" She couldn't bear to speak to him anymore. Without another word, she stormed out of the room, needing to put as much distance between herself and Ganondorf as possible.

But before she left, she could hear him say something so quietly that she wasn't even sure she had heard right.

"I did."

---

"Princess!" Impa's voice was sharp, commanding. Zelda woke up and was on her guard instantly. "Ganondorf's creatures are in the graveyard. I believe they are looking for Redeads."

Redeads? "Can we hide from them?"

"I can. And with my help, you can as well."

"What do you mean?"

Impa looked unsettled, something that was rare for her. This was serious.

Of course, everything was serious. Living beneath a tombstone provided no room for laughter.

"I wanted to wait until you were older to do this, but it seems as if we have no choice now."

"Tell me."

The older woman stared at a point above Zelda's head. "I can turn you into a boy." She paused. "But this is very old magic. It's not easily done. If I do so, Ganondorf will never find you, even if he is looking you in the eye. But once you are a boy, you will remain a boy until you change back into a girl. And once that happens, it's done."

"So I cannot change between the two," Zelda said.

"You will have to grow up as a boy."

There was a crash from without. It was faint, but Zelda knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.

"And this is the only way?"

"This is the only way. But it's your choice, Princess."

Zelda nodded. "Do it," she whispered.

---

—_How long can Hyrule last without the Hero_—

—_It doesn't matter; the Hero has not yet grown_—

—_This would have been avoided if we had never allowed Ganondorf into the Sacred Realm_—

—_You know that we cannot interfere in the affairs of mortals_—

—_Then tell me: what good is it being a goddess if all we can do is watch the country we created tear itself apart_—

---

_She cannot see him, but she knows that he is there. Their world is dark, but they can still feel each other's presence._

"_Zelda," he says. His voice is filled with pain. "I don't know what happened. I opened the Door—"_

"_It's all right," she replies softly. "It's not your fault."_

_They do not say anything for a while. Being close to the other is enough. Then, he speaks._

"_I'm sorry I left you."_

"_No," she whispers. "Don't be sorry. I left first, remember?"_

"_Don't turn this around."_

_They both sigh. Link speaks again. "I don't know what's going on with me."_

"_I don't know, either." But she _does _know. She had known ever since she had met him. He was not old enough. Hyrule had to wait for him to mature. And then, once he did, he would have to become the Hero of Time…_

_She cannot tell him this, however. You must be careful in the land of dreams. He would be shattered if he found out._

_He has already been through so much, she thinks. It hurts her to know that he is not yet done suffering. For now, then, he must sleep. If this burden is to be placed on him, he could be, at the very least, spared from watching Hyrule fall into ruin._

"_Do you think we'll see each other again?"_

_She hesitates before answering. She cannot say for sure. But she knows he needs a reason to go on. "Yes."_

"_I'm going to kill Ganondorf."_

_She nods, even though he cannot see. He continues._

"_I'll find you."_

_Three words, and they pierce her heart._

_Quietly, so that he cannot hear, she cries._

---

When she woke up, her entire body was aching. What had happened to her? She couldn't remember. Impa had told her to go to sleep because Ganondorf's creatures were coming, so she had.

But wait, that made no sense. Wouldn't hiding have been a more sensible thing to do?

She shook her head. She'd think about it later.

Her throat was parched. She wanted to get up to find some water, but her entire body felt stiff. "Impa?" she called out weakly. What was wrong with her voice? It sounded… deeper.

And then she remembered.

Forcing herself to sit up despite the pain, she threw off her blanket and looked under the loose shift she had been sleeping in.

Well.

She was a boy.

"I'm a boy," she said, trying out her new voice—although truth be told, her voice wasn't _that_ different, considering most boys her age still hadn't gone through puberty. But still, it was obvious enough to her.

She reached up to feel her hair. It was shorter now, much shorter. And without the covering she always wore while in princess garb, her head felt incredibly light. What would Link say when he saw her?

_Link._ Sleeping in the Sacred Realm, unaware of everything that was going on. He had really been in her dream, that much was for certain. But would he remember it? Would he remember his promise?

_I'll find you._

Would he still want to, once he woke up? To find that he had lost the best years of his life because of her?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Impa entered the room. "Are you all right?" Impa said without preamble.

Zelda nodded. "It looks like it worked perfectly." She smiled wryly.

"Good." Impa stared at her for a moment, then continued. "Ganondorf's followers are gone. They took several of the Redeads, but not all. They also did something with the Well and the Shadow Temple, but I do not know what. It's dormant for now, so that's all that matters. And as for you, we must begin your training." She paused to measure Zelda's reaction. "Your name will be Sheik. I will train you to be a Sheikah."

Zelda nodded again.

"Then come with me," Impa said, "and we will begin."

---

Things were taking an interesting turn of events.

From what he could tell, secluded in his small store, Hyrule Castle Town was being evacuated. He didn't know much other than that, aside from a small bit of conversation he had overheard when two people were passing by his window.

"…don't want to be around when they come."

"Who does? I thought they were legend until now. Seeing them slouch across Hyrule Field like that…"

"It's enough to make your blood run cold. I wish we had left long ago… so that we would never have to see these Redeads…"

Redeads? That was preposterous. Everyone knew that Redeads hung out in dead places. Hyrule Castle Town was not a dead place, especially with him here. His masks brightened the world around him.

Even so, apparently they had been sighted. Though he usually didn't trust the commoners, believing them to be foolish and incapable, he believed what they were saying now. Besides, the darkening sky helped to confirm it. The weather was getting worse every day.

But what could he do? He would never leave his shop or his masks. They were his life. Even if everyone else left, he would remain.

And that was exactly what happened.

By the time the Redeads arrived, the city had been evacuated, save for him and a few stubborn others. However, the Redeads passed him by and went straight from the castle, which, though it was inhabited, was falling into disrepair. They walked through the city slowly, moaning so loudly that he could hear them from his shop. When they had passed, he decided that he would need to hide himself. He did not fear them—why, one of his masks was based off of the Redeads—but he knew it would not be good if he were to get caught.

He went to the general store and brought as much food as he could carry back to his own shop, smiling at the other people who were trying to do the same thing. Then, he took down the bright sign that proclaimed "Happy Mask Shop" and dirtied up the front so that the Redeads would not intrude. Some of the remaining townspeople asked if they could stay with him, but he smiled and told them no. He had faith. They did not.

They would die.

He would not.

Over the next few days, weeks, months, he watched Hyrule Castle Town fall prey to the Redeads. He heard screaming often and knew that the Redeads were feasting on the survivors. "Unhappy souls without faith," he would say to himself whenever he heard the now-familiar sounds. It was unfortunate, but they had brought it upon themselves when they decided to spurn him and his masks. Silly fools.

Not once did he think to leave. Not once did he think to abandon his masks and his soldier.

He would hum tunelessly to himself every now and then, thinking of mask ideas and sales tactics. He changed the soldier's mask often, from Keaton to Skull to Scary to Bunny, a never-ending cycle. His skin grew pale, paler than it had been before. No sunlight ever filtered into his store. Where he was, there was no sunlight.

He was unbothered by this, though. As long as he still had his faith, he was happy, and happiness was a beautiful thing.

---

Saria realized that the baby plant in front of the Great Deku Tree was no longer growing. In fact, nothing was. Nothing good, anyway.

She had recently discovered several Deku Baba sprouts scattered throughout the forest, and with the other Kokiri, she had rooted them out. But they kept on growing anyway.

There was no doubt in her mind that this had to do with the man from the desert.

However, her knowledge wasn't very helpful. It didn't stop these weeds from developing and didn't remove the taste of poison in the air. Before she knew it, the only bearable places to be were the Lost Woods and the Kokiris' houses.

Tonight they were all gathered in Mido's house, swapping stories and talking of better times. The changes to the forest were scaring them, and they knew no other way to cope.

Mido was sitting in the middle. "Before the Great Deku Tree died, the forest would be completely safe! We were unafraid of going outside! And look at us now! We're terrified! Do you know whose fault this is?"

"Link," a few of them said.

"That's right!" Mido was beaming. "It's a good thing that we kicked him out of the forest, or else—"

"Stop it," Saria said. She was so tired of having to defend Link from the others. Why couldn't Mido accept that the Great Deku Tree had been cursed, and that Link had tried to save him? "It's because of the man in the desert that we're now like this."

Mido snorted.

"Maybe the Great Deku Tree could have been saved, but we were too busy with our own problems and didn't notice in time," she continued. "If it's Link's fault, it's our fault as well." There was some grumbling at this. She didn't care. "In any case, no matter who caused it, it's up to us to stop it. When I find the source of the poison, I'm going to go destroy it." She glanced at Mido. "Does anyone have any issues with that?"

All of the Kokiri shook their heads. They still respected her.

"Good," she said, but she knew that nothing in their future would be good at all.

---

Princess Ruto woke up one morning to hear the excited talk of the Zoras. "Something's coming from the sky," they whispered. "It's beautiful."

Naturally, she had to see for herself. Of course, she had to feed Jabu-Jabu anyway, so she was going outside no matter what.

What she saw, when she entered the fountain, shocked and amazed her.

It was snowing.

She had heard of snow, but had never seen it before. Even the best descriptions couldn't have prepared her for this. Each glistening white snowflake glided to the ground, shimmering as it did so. When it made contact with the earth, it vanished.

_Fascinating_, she thought.

But Jabu-Jabu didn't seem to like it very much. In fact, he didn't seem to like it at all.

She realized that he was dying.

He looked terrible, like he was wasting away right before her. His once shiny scales were now dried up, making him into a withering husk. How could she not have noticed this before?

For the next few weeks, she went to sit with him every day, trying to soothe him. The snow continued to fall; it seemed to get heavier as time passed. She fed him the tastiest fish she could find, hoping against hope that he would get better.

As she sat with him, she found herself casting about madly for a target to blame. Her fiancé, she thought immediately, but discarded the thought. Link had done a lot of things inside Jabu-Jabu, but it hadn't been his fault. No, the fault had been Ganondorf's.

She thought of him and was angry. What right did that evil man have, filling their deity with Biri and Octoroks? Jabu-Jabu was supposed to have lived for many years more, but Ganondorf had stopped that from happening. And now he was causing it to snow, too, so that Jabu-Jabu couldn't even die in peace.

_I am going to rectify this_, she told herself over and over in her mind. _He will regret the day he ever came to Zora's Domain!_

Almost a year passed before Jabu-Jabu finally died. When he did, he sank to the bottom of the fountain, and no one ever saw him again.

---

Link was crying again. Not weakly, but a big, booming cry that could probably be heard throughout all of Goron City.

Darunia tried to pat him so that he would calm down. It was hard, though. Link was crying because the smoke was bothering him, and he had no idea how to get rid of it.

Once the little Goron could no longer cry because he had screamed his voice hoarse, Darunia decided to go outside and look at the mountain from a different point of view. Link crying meant that it was getting worse. But how would he be able to tell?

He glanced up at the sky and had his answer.

Above him, the ring of smoke around Death Mountain was turning into a ring of fire.

---

She fled for the Spirit Temple, trying to escape Ganondorf and his words. But there was no escape. As long as she could think, she could remember. And she did.

_Don't you know why I did all this?_

She didn't, not before. But she knew now.

_It was—_

"Me!" she howled into the sandstorm.

He had destroyed Hyrule for her. He had thought that it would impress her, that it would bind her to him like nothing else ever would. But he had been wrong.

Why couldn't he have understood? She had told him, didn't she? She didn't care about taking over Hyrule. She wanted him to concentrate on their people. The Gerudos. She had told him, and he hadn't listened.

But no matter what she told herself, she always found herself coming back to the same thought. She was the cause for his takeover. If she had never loved him, if he had never loved her, none of this would have happened.

So in a way, this was because of her.

_No_, she thought furiously. _Don't say that._

But denial didn't mean it wasn't true.

When she arrived at the temple, she collapsed and didn't wake up until the next day. Mechanically, she killed a Leever and ate it, then went inside and tried to figure out what she should do next.

One thing was for sure. His conquest was now beyond any need to impress her. She might have removed herself from the picture, but he was still dangerous.

Ganondorf needed to be stopped.

_Don't be a fool, Nabooru_, a voice whispered in her head, but a plan was taking shape even as she thought it.

She wasn't strong enough to take him on her own. But she could be.

What she needed were the Silver Gauntlets.

---

A/N: And on that happy note, we end Part One. Hopefully I've introduced a dynamic in the Ganondorf/Nabooru relationship that'll… make things interesting later, I guess. We'll see what happens with that—all I'll say for now is that, if everything goes well, there'll be at least one chapter where things don't quite play out the way they do in the game.


End file.
